When The Worst Happens...
by PrInCeSsJeNn
Summary: Just when Liz thought that she had gotten her life back together, a tragedy strikes that could ultimately prove to be her breaking point. Who will save her from herself before it's too late??
1. Prologue-It's Funny How Fast Your Life C...

**Title:** When The Worst Happens  
**Author:** [Jenn][1]  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Roswell, would I really be writing this? I didn't think so. Roswell and all its characters belong to Melinda Metz and the United Paramount Network. Brendan and Jason are another story. I'm still working on that. LOL.   
**Category:** Mi/L mostly.  
**Rating:** R for now.  
**Author's Note:** This is Post-Departure with a few twists.  
**Dedication:** I want to dedicate this to DMartinez, SilverSky, Peachez4MaxEvans and MoonBaby19 who have written some of the most awesome Polar fics out there. It's because of them that I am now a definite Polarist. I want to thank them for inspiring me to write this.  
**Summary:** Just when Liz thought she had gotten her life back together, a tragedy strikes that could prove to ultimately be her breaking point. Who will save her from herself before it's too late?  
  
  
********  
  
  


Prologue: It's Funny How Fast Your Life Can Change

  
It was a typical Wednesday night at the Crashdown Cafe. Liz and Ava were siting in the breakroom going over the books like they always did. It was their job since Jeff and Nancy had left them in charge when they left for a much needed one month vacation.   
Micheal was in the kitchen cleaning the grill. Isabel was filling the salt and pepper shakers, while Max and Kyle looked on.   
"This is so boring."  
Max's head shot up at Kyle's comment. "Kyle I wouldn't say that if I were you. Isabel hates it when anyone complains."  
"Yeah I know that. I'm not dumb. I'm just saying that this is what we all do every single Wednesday night. It's getting to be a bit of a bore. And as hot as Isabel may be, watching her filling the salt and pepper shakers for twenty minutes straight is not exactly my idea of fun."  
"Oh and watching my girlfriend do the books is any more exciting?"  
"Ava and Liz are still doing the books?"  
Max nodded. "Yep. Ava said I can't come in there till they're done because I'm a distraction."  
"And what did Liz say?" Kyle questioned his friend.  
"Liz agreed. She said that Ava would never get any work done. Liz always agrees with Ava." He sighed/whined.  
Isabel had been listening the whole time and decided to stick her two-cents in. "Max, they're sisters. They may not be blood related. But, like it or not they're sisters. What did you expect."  
Max sighed. "I know that." He smirked "But if you really think about it, this still has to be the weirdest situation ever. My girlfriend is my ex-girlfriend's adopted sister. Said girlfriend also happens to be a reincarnation of my wife from my last life. Yet when Tess, also a reincarnation of said wife, came to town, I wanted nothing to do with her. Ava showed up just in time to kill Tess and prevent her from destroying our lives. And if wasn't for Tess, we'd still have Alex. But if it wasn't for Ava, Tess would have gone home and turned us over to Khivar. Liz wanted to kill Tess whether she said it or not, for getting in between us. Yet Liz adores Ava. She gave us her blessing when we got together. Everyone hated Tess yet we all love Ava."  
"Max, Ava and Tess are as different as night and day. Ava is a warm, caring person whereas Tess was a sniffling little brat. Ava would give her life to save any one of us, especially Liz. Tess would kill any one of us if it was for her personal benefit. I think Tess and Ava must have gotten mixed up during the crash. Tess definitely belonged with Rath and Lonnie."< BR> "I have to agree with Buddha Boy her. And even though Liz and Ava are technically two different species, they're are as close as you and I if not closer." Isabel said as she sat down next to her partner in crime.  
Kyle in turn slipped an arm around Isabel's shoulders and replied: "Thanks SpaceBitch," to which he promptly received a smack.  
"What have I told you about calling me that! I hate that name. I am not a bitch!"  
"Yeah okay," Kyle mocked. "and I'm completely human."  
She smiled, "Oh that's right, you're just as much of a Space Boy as my brothers." She laughed. "You're not normal." To prove her point, she waved her hand over his head and unbeknownst to him, he now had antennae.  
Max couldn't hold in his laugh any longer. "Kyle, buddy, you might want to check out a mirror."  
"Why?"  
"Kyle. Trust Me. Go look in a mirror."  
Kyle stood up and looked straight ahead in shock. Isabel had done it again: the same antennae that were on the headbands that the waitresses wear, were now sprouting from his head.  
"Oh that's real funny, Is." He waved his hand over his head and the antennae were gone. "Don't you know that payback's a bitch." He said as he started towards her.  
She started backing up. _Shit I forgot that Ava was working with Kyle and Liz on their powers._ "Kyle I was just kidding."  
Kyle had an evil grin on his face. "Oh no Is. This time I'm gonna have some fun."  
"Can't we call a truce?" She asked helplessly as he backed her into a wall.  
His hands were now on either side of her head. "What do I get if I say yes?"  
"My love and affection?" She said/asked as she slid her hands around his neck.  
He put his arms around her waist and touched his forehead to hers. "Hmmm...let me think about it. The love and affection of my gorgeous girlfriend." He emphasized each word with a kiss to Isabel's neck. "Or getting revenge on my gorgeous girlfriend." He pulled away and looked at her. "I don't know. That's a tough one."  
Isabel pulled him back towards her. "Well option number one gets you this." She said as her mouth latched onto his neck. Kyle groaned. She found the sensitive spot on his neck that she knew drove him nuts.  
"Oh. Oh right. I'll take the love and affection of my gorgeous girlfriend. Revenge can come later." He pulled her face up so her could kiss her. "Are you all done?"  
She nodded wickedly. "Yep. All finished."  
"Let's go then. Later Max."   
"Kyle behave. That's my sister you know."  
"Oh I will." _Behave? What's that?_  
"Max shut up. We'll be fine." _Especially since the Sheriff's not home._ She smiled to herself.  
"See Max, we'll be fine." Kyle grinned.   
He yelled into the kitchen. "Micheal we're leaving."  
"Yeah. Yeah. I'll see you guys tomorrow then."  
Kyle practically dragged Isabel out to his Mustang. The sound of laughter was heard as they pulled way.   
Max shook his head and smiled.  
He walked into the kitchen to talk with Micheal. "You know, as much as I don't like Isabel going home with Kyle, he's good for her."  
"I guess."  
"He is though. He's one of us now. So there's nothing to worry about. And he makes her smile. For a while after Alex's death, I never thought she'd smile again." Max beamed. "I'm gonna pop my head in the break room and say goodbye to the girls. I have to be up early for work tomorrow. Later Micheal." And with that he left.  
"Yea. Bye Maxwell." Micheal grunted.  
He didn't want to discuss Alex's death. It bothered him too much. Not only did he lose one of his best friends, he lost his girlfriend too. Maria had done exactly what Isabel wanted to. She had graduated early and left for some school in New York. To make matters worse, the letter he had gotten two months later had broken what little was left of his heart.   
_Dearest Michael,  
I am writing this to you because there is something I need to tell you. But first, I want to thank you for everything. I want to thank you for all that you did for me after Alex's death. If you hadn't been there for Mom and I, I don't know what we would have done. I want to thank you for loving me, and for letting me love you. I will forever cherish what we had.   
Micheal, I've met someone. His name is Ashley. He's caring, sweet and sensitive. And he can promise me the one thing you can't: Tomorrow. Micheal let's face it, it was fun while it lasted but that's all it was, fun. I'm convinced that we were together because of Max and Liz's relationship. For a time, it may have been for love. But after Max and Lizzy split, we seemed to drift apart. I think we had a relationship out of convenience.  
So what I'm telling you is this. It is over between us. I hope you have no hard feelings towards me. I will always love you, but as a friend. You need to find someone that will make you as happy as you deserve. Lord knows I couldn't. You deserve better than me.   
Sincerely,  
Maria_  
At Max's mention of Alex's death, all the painful memories came flooding back. Despite what Maria thought, he really did love her. And, the only one he had ever discussed that letter with was Liz. He had opened it up one night after work, when no one but him and Liz were around. Half way through reading it for the first time, he broke down in front of her. And she didn't tease him for it either. In fact she had broken down and confessed that she still loved Max but had grown to realize that him and Ava were perfect together. She couldn't risk her sister's happiness for her own.  
He suddenly remembered the night that Ava had shown up and saved their lives. It was the night that they were planning on heading back to Antar because Tess was pregnant and the baby couldn't survive here. As much as he didn't want to go, he was willing to if only for Max and Isabel. Kyle and Liz had come bursting into the Granolith shouting something about Tess being a lire. They said that she was the one who killed Alex. Max made everyone leave the room except for Tess so that they could talk. They started shouting at each other. Tess came bursting out screaming about how Liz, Maria, Alex, and Kyle had ruined their lives. They were too human. She raised her hand and it started to glow.   
Max, Isabel and he were too shocked to do anything. A white light was released from Tess's hand and the next thing they knew, she was on the floor dead. Ava stood in between Max and Liz, with tears in her eyes. If Ava hadn't been there, Liz, Maria & Kyle would have been killed. Liz and Maria immediately flung themselves at Ava and engulfed her in a huge hug.   
Ava later explained that after leaving Roswell, she had decided to travel for a little bit. But she got so lonely on her own. She returned to Roswell, just in time. She felt the anger flowing off of Tess and knew that something was bound to happen.   
It was decided that Ava would stay at Liz's. Jeff and Nancy Parker immediately took to Ava. They decided to adopt her. One month later, she was officially Ava Parker. She started going to school and working at the Crashdown. She fit in perfectly. Ava and Liz became extremely close, especially when Maria left. She was Liz's rock during that time.   
Liz had kept her mouth shut when she noticed that Max and Ava started spending a lot of time together. Ava had been through enough. Lonnie and Rath had treated her like shit. Zan ignored her. She had been all alone. Max seemed to light up when he was around her. Ava was finally at peace. Though she was hurt, all Liz cared about was Ava's happiness. Liz had it all for all her life. She could at least let Ava have Max. Happiness be damned.  
So that's how he and Liz had become so close. Micheal began to see a whole different side to Liz. He had always seen her as a stuck-up little Mommy and Daddy's girl. He realized she wasn't. She didn't get everything she wanted. She was just as broken as he was.  
He walked into the breakroom just in time to catch a glimpse of Max and Ava sucking face. He then noticed Liz staring at them with jealousy and adoration in her eyes. He decided that PDA's were too much right now. "Okay get a room." They sprang apart.  
"I don't think Mom and Dad would like that. Do you Liz?" Ava smirked.  
"Nope. You'd be grounded for longer than I was." Only Micheal noticed the lone tear slip down her face.  
"Ahem." Max interupted. "I better get going." He gave Ava one last kiss and left.  
_Good idea Maxwell._  
Micheal sat down on the couch as Liz and Ava got back to the books.  
"I hate Math." Ava groaned. "I suck at it."  
"You and me both babe." Liz agreed.   
"You guys are still doing the books?"  
"Yes Micheal. We have to have everything perfect. Otherwise, the IRS comes to bother Mom and Dad." Liz replied.  
"And if all the books aren't done right, you might not get the right amount of money in that paycheck of yours." Ava added.  
"Can you work it so that I get more than I'm supposed to?" He smirked.  
He was then hit with a pillow from each of the girls. He got up and ran at the both of them.  
"Tickle fight!" He screamed as he proceeded to attack both sisters. He chased them around the entire cafe for more than twenty minutes.  
Their fun stopped when they were suddenly face to face with Sheriff Valenti. He didn't look happy.  
"Girls, you should sit down. I have to tell you something."  
Both Ava and Liz immediately panicked. Liz had only seen that look on his face once before. When he had told them that Alex was dead. Ava could feel what she was thinking. They knew it had to be something about their parents.  
The Sheriff took of his hat and sat down across from the bewildered sisters. _These poor girls. They're so young to lose both of their parents._  
"Liz, Ava, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but your parents were killed in a car crash this morning."  
For a few minutes there was silence. The Sheriff stood up and said: "I'll leave you alone. If you need anything please don't hesitate to call. You know that Kyle and I will be here for the both of you." With that he left.  
Liz and Ava both promptly burst into tears and held onto each other for dear life, as Micheal looked on.  
"No." Liz cried. "It can't be true." She said as she looked at Ava. "Av, our parents are gone. We're all alone." _I'm all alone_  
Ava couldn't even find words. Jeff and Nancy had given her the life and sister she had always wanted. They were her parents. And just like that, they were taken from her and her sister. Now all she had was Liz. _I have Max. But who does Liz turn to?_  
"Mom and Dad." She cried. "Why Mom and Dad? We need them." Ava fell to the floor crying. Liz immediately joined her.  
Micheal looked at the Parker sisters and one thought crossed his mind. _Things will never be the same again._

   [1]: mailto:babygirlz6@aol.com



	2. Part 1: From Bad to Worse In 15 Seconds ...

**Title:** When The Worst Happens  
**Author:** [Jenn][1]  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Roswell, would I really be writing this? I didn't think so. Roswell and all its characters belong to Melinda Metz and the United Paramount Network. Brendan and Jason are another story. I'm still working on that. LOL.   
**Category:** Mi/L mostly.  
**Rating:** R for now.  
**Author's Note:** This is Post-Departure with a few twists.  
**Dedication:** I want to dedicate this to DMartinez, SilverSky, Peachez4MaxEvans and MoonBaby19 who have written some of the most awesome Polar fics out there. It's because of them that I am now a definite Polarist. I want to thank them for inspiring me to write this.  
**Summary:** Just when Liz thought she had gotten her life back together, a tragedy strikes that could prove to ultimately be her breaking point. Who will save her from herself before it's too late?  
  
********  
  


Part 1: From Bad To Worse In 15 Seconds Or Less 

  
In between their crying spells, Ava had managed to dislodged herself from Liz's death grip. She was now pacing the room, contemplating what to do next.   
  
"I have to call Uncle Tony, Aunt Janie, an Uncle Mark. They have to be told about Mom and Dad. And now we have to make plans for their fun..." She stopped mid-sentence and started sobbing again.  
  
"Oh god. I can't do this. This is a joke right? Or I'm dreaming. Yeah that's it, this is all just a really bad dream. Soon I'll wake up and Mom will be making breakfast while Dad's downstairs getting ready to open the Crash. It's just a bad dream." She started full-on crying, as the realization hit that it wasn't just a bad dream. "Oh my god. They're gone. I have to call Max." She mumbled as she made a mad dash for the phone.  
  
"No need. I'm already here." Ava turned to see Max, Diane and Philip standing in the doorway.  
  
Max quickly engulfed Ava in a fierce hug as she started sobbing again. "It's okay baby. I'm here. It's gonna be all right. You're gonna be okay." He murmured as he rubbed her back in an effort to calm her down. _Can you say absolute bullshit, Max. Neither her nor Liz are gonna be okay for a long time._ He thought to himself.  
  
"How'd you know?" Ava sniffled.  
  
"Jim called us. We got here as soon as we could. I'm so sorry sweetie." Diane said as she pulled Ava from Max's arms and hugged the girl tightly. She was pretty upset herself. Both her and Philip were extremely close with Nancy and Jeff. They had all been friends since high school. Jeff and Nancy had asked them to be both Liz **and** Ava's Godparents.  
  
"Is there anything you girls need?"  
  
_Well let's see. My parents!?!_ "Not at the moment, Mrs. Evans. I'll let you know when I can finally think straight."  
  
Diane nodded sympathetically. She really felt for the girls. Diane had lost her mother at 13. And even though she liked Ava, she was silently wondering where Liz was. Of either of the Parker sisters, Liz was her favorite. She adored her. She longed for the days when Max and Liz were a couple. She had talked with Liz shortly after her and Max had split and learned just how much of a giving person she really was. Liz had explained Ava's background and then told her of the relationship between Ava and Max. Liz sacrificed her own happiness and put Ava and Max first. Diane had a new found respect for Liz that would never ever change.  
  
"Well then I guess we'll stop by again later. Call us if you need anything sweetheart." She told Ava as she embraced the girl again.  
  
"I will. Thank you."   
  
Once his parents had left, Max had finally noticed someone was missing from the picture. "Where is Liz?"  
  
_Like you care, Maxwell._ Secretly, Micheal was a bit angry at Max on Liz's behalf about the whole him and Ava situation. He was the only one who knew how hurt she was. "I put her in bed. She cried herself to sleep. I wasn't gonna just leave her on the floor." Micheal replied sarcastically from Liz's doorway.  
  
Ava saw the look he gave Max and knew exactly what it was. It was that of anger towards Max. _He's protective of Liz._ And envy towards the both of them. She had worn that look once upon a time. When she had first come to Roswell. She had given that very same look to Liz and Max. She could understand why he looked hurt. Liz had explained what Maria had done to him. Micheal was filled with so much hurt and anger that, Liz was the only one who could truly get through to him. _What Maria did to him was absolutely horrible._ But on some level, Ava knew Micheal would bounce back. It would just take some time, and the right person to help him through it. She knew that her sister would be the one to do it.  
  
"Oh." Max silently thanked Micheal for keeping an eye on Liz. _She's going to need someone to turn to. I'm just glad it's Micheal._  
  
"And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit in her room. When she wakes up, she's gonna be pretty upset." He declared as he did an about face back into Liz's bedroom.  
  
Max stood there astonished at Micheal's thoughtfulness towards Liz. _He's a really great friend to her. Unlike me lately. I've been too wrapped up in Ava to realize all that she's given up for everyone else's benefit._  
  
"Max?" Ava interupted his thoughts.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Can you just stay with me till I fall asleep?"  
  
His only answer was to lead her to the couch and lay down next to her. "I'll stay longer than that if you want me to." He said as he draped an arm across her waist.  
  
"Forever." She mumbled sleepily and snuggled into him.  
  
"Forever and a day." He promised as he too drifted off to sleep.  
  
Liz's Room:  
  
Micheal sat in the chair next to Liz's bed staring at her silent form. He felt sorry for her and Ava because he knew how close they were to their parents. He, himself was somewhat close to them too. Since the split with Maria, he had been hanging out with Liz a lot and as a result, he spent a great deal of time at the Parker household. He had even spent some nights in the guest bedroom. Jeff told him that he was welcome to any time he wanted.  
  
Now though, he was worried how Liz would deal with the loss of her parents. It was like adding insult to injury. She was still hurting from letting Max go and this, well this was just the icing on the cake. It was so ironic that someone who had it all could have nothing at the same time. Things had just gone from bad to worse. And all it took, was the 15 seconds in which Sheriff Valenti told Liz and Ava that Jeff and Nancy were dead. _Her life will never be the same again. She'll never be same again._  
  
Not that she was the same. She was definitely **not** the same Liz Parker that had dated Max. A lot had happened to her in the last two years. She fallen hard for Max only to find that he was destined for another. She had let him go despite her own heartache. And to make matters worse, just as she was prepared to let him back into her life, she had been told by a future version of Max that if her and Max were together, it would be the end of the world.  
  
**Yes**, Liz had told him about the whole Future Max incident. And that she had never really slept with Kyle. He had known that all along though. He knew Liz was not a mean spirited person and would never do that to anyone. So she told him everything. Afterwards, she begged him not to say anything. And he didn't. He would never betray her trust after learning what she did to keep him and Isabel alive. Never. He vowed to be the best friend to Liz he could possibly be. After all, she wasn't any ordinary human, she sacrificed herself to save his life. And not many people would do that for him.  
  
Liz's life was slowly crumbling though. She kept her grades up for appearances only. She would cry when she thought no one was around. She saved the little happy facade for when Ava, Max or her parents were around. Inwardly, however, she was miserable. And only Micheal knew the extent of that misery. She had confessed to him. It was eating her alive.  
  
Liz began to stir. She noticed that Micheal was sitting by her bed staring out the window. "Micheal?" She asked sleepily.  
  
He practically lept from the chair to the bed. He rubbed her cheek gingerly. "How are you? Do you need anything?" He asked sincerely. _And a very dumb question that was. Of course she needs something. Her parents back home safe and sound._  
  
She shook her head. "It wasn't a dream, was it?" _Please say it was. Please say it was._ She asked as tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
"I'm afraid not sweetie." Micheal wanted nothing more than to bring Liz's parents back and give her some shred of happiness. She deserved at least that.  
  
"Oh okay." She said as her bottom lip quivered. She began sobbing. "Why me, Micheal? Why them?"  
  
"I honestly don't know Liz." He said. His own eyes were filling with tears at this point.  
  
In an attempt to keep her calm, he laid down next to her. She in turn, held onto to him for dear life. As if she feared she'd lose him too.  
  
They laid there in silence, holding each other for a while. Micheal's heart broke with every sob she let out. Somehow, they formed a connection and he could feel all the pain she was in. _I guess it's because of Liz's powers._ Suddenly, all the pain he felt at losing Maria seemed like child's play to all the pain Liz was in.  
  
Liz suddenly looked him dead in the eyes. "Thank you." She sniffled.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For being here with me. I can't be alone Micheal."  
  
"I know. You're not alone Liz. You have all of us especially me. I won't ever leave you alone. Not as long as you need me." _You've been here for me and I intend to do the same._  
  
"It hurts so much." She sobbed.  
  
He held her closer. "I know."  
  
"It hurts so much here." She said indicating to her heart.  
  
His heart broke once more as she gestured to her heart and began sobbing yet again. _I don't understand how something so horrible could happen to someone so caring._ "Just let it all out Liz. It's okay to cry."  
  
_But will I ever stop?_ She clung to him as she cried. _No I won't. If I start, I'll never stop. And I can't do that._  
  
Suddenly, she bounced off the bed and began cleaning her room. "What the hell am I doing laying here?" She asked rhetorically. "This room is a mess." She said as she started rearranging the books on her shelf.  
  
Micheal sat there for a minute and kept a close eye on her. Then he decided that he couldn't let her act like this. She had tried the same thing when Alex died. For a time, she acted like he wasn't dead. Like he was on a long vacation. Like she was trying to put off dealing with the pain. And he knew all too well that the longer you put off dealing with the pain, the harder it will hit you in the end.  
  
"Liz come sit down."  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?" He questioned even though he knew the real reason.  
  
"Because, I can't. My room is a mess." She insisted.  
  
"Liz, I'm not that naive. Don't lie to me."  
  
"I'm not Micheal. I can't stand it when my room is a mess. So I'm doing something about it. That's all." She said as she shook her head in defiance.  
  
He stood up and looked her dead in the eye. "No that's not all. Liz don't do this. Don't act like this." He said in a solemn voice.  
  
She laughed sarcastically. "Like what Micheal. I have no idea what you're talking about." She said as she straightened out her bed.  
  
He threw his hands up in defeat. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. Don't try and play dumb with me. Cause you and I both know you're smarter than that."  
  
"I am not playing dumb. I'm not acting like anything." She was growing agitated. _Just leave me alone Micheal._  
  
"You're full of shit and you know it." _Quit lying to yourself Liz. It's not gonna work. I know you better than that._  
  
She laughed again. "If I'm so full of shit and you know me so well, why don't you explain it to me then." She challenged him.  
  
It wasn't lost on him that she had heard his thoughts but they'd deal with that later. "Like this." He said gesturing to her room. "Like nothing's happened. You can't pretend your parents aren't gone. That's not gonna work and you know it. So don't pull this bullshit act with me. I don't understand why you're acting like this."  
  
He hit a sore spot. _Don't push this Micheal. Please._ "I'm not acting like anything. Will you just leave me alone for Christ sake!" She screamed as she pushed past him into her bathroom.  
  
_Oh you wanna play like that, huh? I see how it is Liz._ "No I won't leave you alone." He yelled back as he followed her into the bathroom.  
  
Meanwhile, In The Livingroom  
  
Both Ava and Max were awakened by the yelling that was coming from Liz's room. Ava got worried and was about to go and check out what was going on. But Max stopped her.  
  
"Leave it. She's yelling at Micheal."  
  
_Duh._ "Like I don't know that. I wanna know what they be," She shook her head and corrected herself. Every now and then her New York accent popped up. "I mean what they're fighting about." She said as she stood up.  
  
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back down next to him. "What do you think Av?"  
  
Ava could feel the anger coming off her sister in waves. "She's doing what she always does when something horrible happens. Pretending like it didn't." Yep, she too had witnessed Liz's way off dealing with things. Liz preferred pretending nothing happened to crying about and dealing with it. She thought that being strong was the only way to handle anything. This situation probably wouldn't be any different.  
  
"Exactly. And Micheal won't let her do that. She's fine Ava. Don't worry. Micheal will handle it."  
  
She laughed in response. "Oh I'm sure he will."  
  
"And what does that mean?"  
  
"It means that he'll try to be calm about it. Which is so un-Micheal like that it will only serve to furtha piss my sister off. He's neva like that with any one else. Why her?"  
  
"Because, normally, she's the one who tries to deal with everything calmly."  
  
"Whateva. I'm tired. I don't wanna deal with the world right now. So let's go back to sleep." She yawned.  
  
"If that's what you want baby."  
  
She didn't answer him because she was already asleep.  
  
Back In Liz's Room  
  
"You know what Micheal? Get out! I don't need this shit right now!"  
  
"And if I said no?" _I can't do that Liz._  
  
_Why not?_ "Oh so now you choose to be your wiseass-ish self? Wonderful. Just freaking wonderful." She huffed and went back into her room.  
  
He followed her again. "Why is it that you think you have to play Lil' Miss Strong for everyone else's sake. What about you? Huh?"  
  
"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black then I don't know what is. You should talk Mr. Stonewall." She screamed in retort.  
  
"Ouch. That's true." He conceited. "But I'm not like that any more. You're the one who taught me that you can't just push the pain aside. If you do you'll never bounce back. It takes time. I know why I did it why are you?" He asked calmly.  
  
"You wanna know why?" She yelled.  
  
"Yes. I do Liz."  
  
"Fine I'll tell you why." She sat down on the windowsill and gazed out the window. "Because, I have to Micheal. If I don't, I'm weak and vulnerable. And I get hurt. I always do. And if I stop pretending nothing's happened. It all becomes real. And in reality.." She said as her anger faded and tears began sliding down her cheeks. "And in reality, Alex is gone, and my parents are gone. And I can't handle that." She started sobbing as she slid to the floor.  
  
Michael caught her before she hit the floor. He sat her in his lap and just held her while she cried. "I don't want it to be real Micheal. It hurts too much. What did I do to deserve this?" She asked no one in particular.  
  
"What did I do to deserve Maria leaving me? I've thought about it over and over. And I can't name a damn thing I did to her except love her. Things just happen. But you can't hide the pain. The pain is what makes it real. I know it hurts. And it will for a long time. I'm still hurting. And there are days where I don't wanna face it at all. But you once told me that the pain you feel is part of what makes you human."  
  
"I suppose you're right." She mumbled as she hid her head in the crook of his neck. _But what if I can't deal?_  
  
Micheal had heard what she thought. And although it worried him. He chose to ignore it for the moment. Right now he concentrated on the sobbing girl in his arms. She needed him. And it felt good to be needed for once by someone other than his `brother' and `sister'.   
  
Max and Isabel couldn't understand what he was feeling over the loss of Maria. Only Liz could. She knew how it felt because she had watched Max slowly slip away. She had made the choice to give him up. And she was now paying the price for it. But right now that was nothing compared to loosing both of her beloved parents. That pain would stick with her for a long time to come.  
  
And Micheal was sure that he would be there for her every step of the way. Through each other, he felt they could hopefully learn to deal with all the pain and heartache. And eventually come out stronger. But soon Micheal would learn that Liz was not as strong as he thought. That she needed more help than just a hug and a shoulder to cry on.  
  
***TBC***

   [1]: mailto:babygirlz6@aol.com



	3. Part 2: Just Remember To Breathe

**Title:** When The Worst Happens  
**Author:** [Jenn][1]  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Roswell, would I really be writing this? I didn't think so. Roswell and all its characters belong to Melinda Metz and the United Paramount Network. Brendan and Jason are another story. I'm still working on that. LOL.   
**Category:** Mi/L mostly.  
**Rating:** R for now.  
**Author's Note:** This is Post-Departure with a few twists.  
**Dedication:** I want to dedicate this to DMartinez, SilverSky, Peachez4MaxEvans and MoonBaby19 who have written some of the most awesome Polar fics out there. It's because of them that I am now a definite Polarist. I want to thank them for inspiring me to write this.  
**Summary:** Just when Liz thought she had gotten her life back together, a tragedy strikes that could prove to ultimately be her breaking point. Who will save her from herself before it's too late?  
  
  
********  
  
  


Part 2: Just Remember To Breathe

  
  
Valenti Residence  
  
Isabel and Kyle were involved in an intense game of tonsil hockey, when Isabel's cell phone started ringing.  
  
Isabel sat up in an attempt to get it. But Kyle quickly pulled her back down with him.  
  
"Let who ever it is leave you a message. We're busy."  
  
"But what if it's important?" She asked mockingly.  
  
"What's more important than your Kyle time?" He asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.  
  
"Ummm...Plenty of things." She replied dreamily as his mouth latched onto her neck again. _I've died and gone to heaven._  
  
"Like what?" He snorted. "What could possibly be so important at this time of night? Let's think about this for a moment. My father's out on patrol. My mother and baby sister are at my aunt's house for the night. No one's home but you and me. The only thing that I think is important right now is getting you out of those clothes." He said while gesturing to her purposely skin-tight tank top and jeans.  
  
She looked up at him in mock disgust. "So you only want me for my body? Eh? I see how it is."  
  
"Oh you know it, Ms. Evans."  
  
"Well I'm only with you for your body so let's see what we can do about getting you out of that T-shirt, Mr. Valenti."  
  
"Well than what are we waiting for?" He asked as he started kissing a path down her chest with every button of her shirt he unfastened.  
  
Isabel in turn grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled in an effort to get it off of him. He sat up long enough for her to yank it all the way off him. They quickly resumed their previous position.  
  
Suddenly the Livingroom phone started ringing. Kyle jumped up, but Isabel quickly stopped him.  
  
"Let the machine get it. We have more important things going on."  
  
"That we do my love. That we do." He said as he settled back into his girlfriend's awaiting arms.  
  
All that could be heard were the sounds of Isabel and Kyle kissing passionately and Amy Valenti's voice on the answering machine.  
  
'You've reached the Valenti's. Leave a message after the tone." *BEEP*  
  
"Kyle this is your father. Get off of Isabel and pick up the phone **now**. I know you two are making out on the couch. Put your shirt on and get your butt over to the phone ASAP."  
  
Kyle hastily did as his father said and made a mad dash for the phone, and picked it up. "Dad? What's wrong?"  
  
'Kyle I want you and Isabel to get your asses over to the Crashdown, right now.'  
  
"Why what's wrong. Is everyone all right?" He asked worried by his father's tone.  
  
'There's been an accident.'  
  
"What do you mean by 'accident'." He questioned.  
  
'Nancy and Jeff Parker were in a car accident on Highway 80.'  
  
"Shit. Are they all right?"  
  
'No. The car was hit by a semi. They were killed on impact.'  
  
It took him a few minutes to regain the ability to speak. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Jeff and Nancy not only were Liz's parents, and good people, but they were his god parents. He felt like could cry but he didn't want to scare Isabel. _Gotta stay strong. Can't scare Izzy._  
  
The look on Kyle's face worried Isabel. _What the hell is going on?_ She got up and stood next to him in an effort to hear what his father was saying.  
  
Kyle ran a hand through his hair in disbelief and finally spoke. "Oh god. Do Liz and Ava know?" He asked while motioning for Isabel to get her stuff together.  
  
'Yea. I don't think that they took it too well. Just get over there cause as far as I know only Micheal is there with them.'  
  
"All right I'll be there in five minutes." He hurriedly hung up the phone.  
  
"What's wrong?" Isabel asked worriedly.  
  
"I'll tell you in the car. Just get the keys and start the car. I'll be out in a sec."  
  
"Okay." She said as she squeezed his hand and grabbed the keys. She disappeared out the door.  
  
Kyle simply stood there for a second. He shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. And ran out to the car where his girlfriend was waiting.  
  
She noticed the lost look in his eyes. "Kyle?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"What happened?" _What did his father tell him?_ She questioned as they pulled out of his driveway.  
  
"There was an accident on Highway 80. A semi hit the Parker's car. Nancy and Jeff are dead."  
  
Isabel felt like she was just punched in the stomach. Nancy and Jeff were good people. They were always there for the group when they needed anything. She had spent many a night at their house with Ava and Liz. "Ava? Liz?"  
  
"They're okay. They just found out though. Dad wants us to go over there because Micheal is the only one with them. At least as far as he knows."   
  
They were just a block away from the Crashdown when Isabel decided to see where everyone else was in relation to the Parker's apartment. Since Ava had started working with Liz and Kyle on their then thought to be limited powers, they had learned that Kyle and Liz could basically do everything they could. Her, Micheal, Kyle, Max, Liz and Ava had all discovered that they could tell where the others were if they just concentrated hard enough. It came in handy every now and then. Plus she could sleep easier at night knowing where her family was at all times.  
  
Isabel closed her eyes and concentrated. "No he's not. I feel Max there too."  
  
"Still we need to get over there. I can feel the pain flowing off of Liz, can't you?" _And loneliness, anguish, and fear._ Kyle replied. His connection with Liz was strong since they had learned how to use their powers together. He could sometimes read her emotions from miles away. That was something that only he, Liz and occasionally Micheal were capable of.  
  
Isabel closed her eyes again. "I feel pain. I just can tell whose it is."  
  
They pulled up in front of the Crashdown and raced towards the back entrance which they both knew would be unlocked. Kyle dashed up the stairs but stopped short at the sight in front of him. He saw a head of blonde and pink hair laying on the couch. Even though he didn't see Max, he knew he was laying next to her. He motioned for Isabel to be quiet.  
  
'Ava's asleep.' He mouthed to her. She nodded in understanding and they both made their way in the apartment. They crept past Ava and Max. It was obvious that Ava had been crying by the tear stains on her cheeks. Max had a protective arm draped over her.  
  
Isabel snuck past Kyle and made her way towards Liz's room.  
  
Micheal had heard the Mustang pull up and knew that Sheriff Valenti must have called Kyle which also meant that Isabel was with him. _One never goes anywhere without the other._ He heard the creaking floor boards which meant that they were coming near Liz's room. He carefully unhooked Liz's arms from around himself and got up.  
  
"Shh.." He told them when they were face to face. "I finally got Liz to sleep."  
  
"How is she?" Isabel asked with concern written all over her face.  
  
Micheal shook his head, a look of defeat on his face. "Not good at all." He said solemnly.  
  
"How long has she been sleeping?" Kyle questioned.  
  
"About ten minutes." Micheal said while glancing at the clock. "She cried herself to sleep earlier when she first found out. I picked her off the floor and put her in bed. She woke up about twenty minutes later."  
  
"How was she then?"  
  
"She asked me if it was all a dream. I'll tell you, I never wished for anything so hard in my life. Not even going home. I wished right then that I could tell her it was." Micheal said tears silently streaming down his cheeks at the memory of their talk no more than twenty minutes prior. _He was sitting by her bed when Liz had begun to stir. He was lost in his thoughts and she must have noticed him sitting there. "Micheal?"  
  
He practically lept from the chair to the bed. He put his hand on the side of her face affectionately. "How are you? Do you need anything?" He asked sincerely. __And a very dumb question that was. Of course she needs something. Her parents back home safe and sound._  
  
She shook her head. "It wasn't a dream, was it? "She asked as tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
"I'm afraid not sweetie." He wanted nothing more than for his powers to allow him to bring her parents back and at least make her semi-happy.  
  
"Oh okay." She said as her bottom lip quivered. She began crying. "Why me, Micheal? Why them?"  
  
"I honestly don't know Liz." He said. His own eyes were filling with tears at this point.  
  
He remembered laying down next to her to keep her calm. She clung to him for dear life.  
  
They laid there in silence, holding each other for a while. He felt his heart shatter with ever sob that escaped from her lips. They formed an emotional connection and he felt all her pain.  
  
Liz suddenly looked him dead in the eyes. "Thank you." She sniffled.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For being here with me. I can't be alone Micheal."  
  
"I know. You're not alone Liz. You have all of us especially me. I won't ever leave you alone. Not as long as you need me." _You've been here for me and I intend to do the same._  
  
"It hurts so much." She sobbed.  
  
He held her closer. "I know."  
  
"It hurts so much here." She said indicating to her heart.  
  
Isabel had tears in her eyes. Seeing Micheal so upset was a rarity. She knew he was heartbroken at Maria leaving but he never shared that with anyone but Liz. This was definitely a rare occasion. But who could blame him. The Parkers were like parents to everyone. Everybody loved them.  
  
Isabel leaned back against Kyle who held her tightly. They all stared at Liz's restlessly sleeping form. One thought crossed everyone's mind. _What are we gonna do?_  
  
"What happened then?" Kyle asked knowing there was more.  
  
"She stopped crying and started cleaning her already perfectly neat room."  
  
They nodded in unison.  
  
"She starts acting like nothing was going on and when I asked her why, she started screaming at me. She asked me why I was bothering her. She had things to do. I basically told her to cut the shit. It took a little pushing but she finally gave in. She laid back down and I held her. She asked me to stay with her at least until she was asleep."  
  
"Okay. One sister down. What happened with Ava?"  
  
"After I put Liz into bed the first time, Ava started pacing the room babbling about all the stuff she had to do and then she broke down crying. That's when Max and your parents walked in. Max calmed Ava down and Diane asked if they needed anything. Ava said no. And they left. Cept Max. How'd you guys get here so fast?"  
  
_That must have been my parents calling my cell. I've gotta learn to answer it more often._  
  
"Well my Dad just called and told me and Izzy to get our butts over here. So we did. Are you guys okay for the moment?"  
  
Micheal nodded. "For tonight at least."  
  
"I really hate to ask this question in front of you Micheal but, does Maria know what happened?"  
  
Micheal cringed at the mention of Maria's name. He knew however, that she would come up soon enough. Especially now with every that just happened. She would have to be told. It was either one of them call her or she'd find out from her parents.  
  
"I'll call her. She's my sister after all." Kyle and Maria had become closer since their parents had gotten married the previous year. They bonded further when their little sister Tasha was born. They had spent many a night baby-sitting her together.  
  
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number from memory.  
  
New York City: The Apartment Of Maria DeLuca and Ashley Grimaldi...  
  
"Ash? Have you seen my brush?" Maria yelled to her boyfriend as she searched the bathroom in effort to find it.  
  
"Yea. I cleaned the bathroom while you were at work. Try the second drawer on the right."  
  
Sure enough, it was there. "Thanks baby."  
  
"You found it hun?" He yelled as she snuck up on him.  
  
She tapped his shoulder with the brush. "But of course." She said as she kissed him on the lips when he turned around to face her.  
  
It had been almost six months since Maria and Ashley had moved in together. They were perfect for each other. It really was love at first sight. Maria met him when she had taken a tour of the Columbia University campus. The college she was now attending. He just happened to be her guide. Ashley was completely in awe of her and had asked her out to dinner that very night. She agreed. And they had been together ever since.  
  
Ashley Grimaldi was by any girl's standards perfect. He was extremely smart. He was studying to be a lawyer. He came from a wealthy family. And he had a good head on his shoulders. He was 6'3 with entrancing blue eyes and sandy blonde spiky hair. He was totally built, complete with six pack and had that rebel look. His favorite outfit was a wifebeater that showed off his incredible muscles and a baggy pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans. And Maria loved it. Add in a motorcycle and a New York accent to the mix and he was absolutely perfect. Plus it helped that he shared in Maria's love of music.  
  
Ashley pulled her tightly to him which caused a squeal of surprise to erupt from Maria's mouth. "Have I told you how much I you today?" He asked huskily.  
  
"Yes but it doesn't hurt to hear it again." She said with a smirk.  
  
"I love you Maria DeLuca."  
  
"And I love you Ashley Grimaldi." She declared as she kissed him passionately.  
  
Suddenly their moment was interupted by the phone ringing.  
  
"I'll get it." Ashley declared as he reached for the phone.  
  
"'Ello?"  
  
'Ashley? It's me Kyle.'  
  
"Kyle bro wassup?" Maria suddenly looked up from her new position on the couch at Ashley's mention of her brother's name. 'Is it my brother?' She mouthed to him.  
  
He nodded. She moved closer to where he was.  
  
'Can I talk to my sister?' He asked with a glum tone in his voice.  
  
Ashley quickly picked up on the hurt and sadness in his voice, even though Kyle did not sound it. "Bro was wrong?"  
  
As soon as Maria heard Ashley ask Kyle what was wrong, she dashed into their bedroom and quietly picked up the phone. She was devastated by what she heard.  
  
'I've got bad news. Remember my friend Liz?'  
  
"Ya mean Ria's best friend?"  
  
'Yeah. Her parents were killed this morning in a car accident.'  
  
"Shit. She and her sister aight?" He asked out of real concern. If Liz and Ava were dead, Maria would be heartbroken for sure.  
  
'Yeah her and Ava weren't in the car. The Parkers were coming home early from their vacation in Vegas. They were hit by a semi and died instantly.'  
  
"Shit."  
  
'Yeah. We're all at Liz and Ava's now."  
  
"Well be there on the next flight Kyle." Maria's voice suddenly interupted. Ashley hadn't realized that Maria had picked up the extension in their bedroom. _Shit. She gotta mad upset now._ His thoughts were only confirmed by the sounds of sniffling on the other line.  
  
"Ria I'll tell you what. You talk to ya bro and I'll get da tickets for us. Aiight?"  
  
"Yeah baby." She sniffled.  
  
"Kyle, I'll see ya lata bro."  
  
'Bye man. Take care of her.'  
  
"Ya know I will." With that Ashley hung up and reached for his cell phone and the phone book. He was quickly on the phone with an airline. "Yo. I need two tickets to Roswell, New Mexico. As fast as possible. Like yestaday...."   
  
Meanwhile....In the bedroom..  
  
"Kyle? Is Liz okay?" _I know I wouldn't if it were me._  
  
'Not really. Would you be if it was Mom and Dad?'  
  
That thought had already crossed her mind. "No. Was anyone with her when she found out?" She asked as her thoughts drifted to the fact that Kyle was probably out with Isabel like always. And Max and Ava were practically attached at the hip. A fact which still hurt Liz. Which except for Micheal, left her by herself a lot.  
  
'Yeah. Micheal and Ava. Thank god the Crash was closed.' He sighed. 'Micheal said that they both freaked.' At the mention of Micheal, Maria felt a pain of guilt in her heart. She still felt bad for the way she left Micheal. From what Liz told her, he was really hurt by how things ended up.``  
  
"I don't blame them. They're not even 18 and now their orphans."  
  
'Ava's taking it a little better than Liz.'  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
'From how Micheal described her, she had a meltdown. And I can feel a million different emotions coming from her. Mostly confusion.'  
  
Maria was a little bothered by Kyle's comment about feeling Liz's emotions. On some level she was very hurt by the fact that her brother and her best friend shared a bond that she and Liz could never have. And that bond only brought them closer to Max, Isabel and Micheal. She felt like an outsider sometimes. And that along with the pain of losing Alex, was one of the reasons she decided to graduate from school early and went to Columbia.  
  
Going away to school, gave Maria a newfound independence that she so desperately needed. All her life, she depended on someone, whether it was her mother, Liz, or even Micheal. It also gave her a new perspective on life.  
  
She had stopped looking at the glass as being half empty. It was always half full now. She was defiantly more positive about everything. She had a great life. Two very supportive parents. An adorable baby sister and protective older brother. Awesome friends. Loving boyfriend. What more could she ask for? The only thing she could think of was a better relationship with Liz.   
  
After the whole Tess-tried-to-kill-us incident, Maria wasn't exactly trusting of anyone even resembling Tess which meant Ava. It was nothing personal to Ava it was just the wounds Tess had created were still healing. That defiantly caused problems with Liz because Ava was her sister. Liz couldn't understand why Maria left her. They had always planned to go to UNM Las Cruces together. But she just had to get out of Roswell. There were too many demons there that she didn't want to face, at least not yet. She just needed a fresh start.  
  
Which meant cutting all ties that held her down for the moment. And the only thing holding her down was Micheal. She strung him along for two months but when school started, the phone calls and letters became few and far between. At some point she had just fallen out of love with him. She didn't want to hurt him, but pretending to still be in love with him would hurt more in the future. So she wrote him a letter. She told him about Ashley.  
  
In her mind, she knew that he probably wouldn't take it well. Liz had later told her that he in fact didn't. That he was for now at least a broken man. Despite how hard he had tried to push her away, he really did love her. He thought he was doing it for her own good. It was ironic that in the end, he was the one to get hurt.  
  
It had taken her nearly two years to break down his walls. But she did. And they fell for each other. Hard. Through all the fighting and the good times. Through the tears and the smiles. Some was good some was bad. But she would never ever regret what they had. Just the way they ***she*** ended things.  
  
"Ria, you ready baby?" Ashley yelled from the other room.  
  
"Yeah. Just let me get some clothes together for us." She yelled back.  
  
He came to stand in the doorway of their bedroom. He watched her pacing the room with a worried expression on his face. "I'll get mine. You dun hafta do it."  
  
"No it's okay I will."  
  
He knew that Hurricane DeLuca was not one to fight with. But he just wanted to make sure. "You sure baby?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.  
  
"I got it. Just get the car."  
  
"Aiight I'll be waiting downstairs. I love you." He reluctantly let go of her, grabbed his keys off the dresser and made his way downstairs.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
She quickly ransacked their drawers to find some suitable outfits for Roswell. She chucked them into a small suitcase and was basically ready to go. "Roswell here we come." She mumbled non-enthusiastically.  
  
She ran downstairs suitcase in hand, and jumped in Ashley's Navigator.  
  
He was concerned by the lost look on her face. "Ready ta go?" He asked as her as he rubbed the side of her face.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be. What time does the flight leave?"  
  
"3 o'clock."  
  
"In the morning?"  
  
"Yea. I figured you'd want da next possible flight."  
  
"I did. Thank you baby." She said as she interlaced her hand with his and they drove off.  
  
"Ria?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Just rememba ta do da one thing I always tell ya."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just rememba to breathe." He always told her that any time she panicked about anything. And it always helped. He knew she would need that for Roswell. He couldn't understand why she dreaded going home so much. She had it all. But he would soon find out.  
  


   [1]: mailto:babygirlz6@aol.com



	4. Part 3: Yes, I Still Remember

p align=centerPart 3: Yes, I Still Remember/p BRBR  
  
bAN: A '~' denotes a flashback./bBRBR  
  
Micheal sat in the bay window of his "room" in the Parker Apartment. He was contemplating just about everything in his life. He wasn't looking forward to tomorrow, for the simple fact of it would mean seeing the source of all his pain in the past year. Maria. As music softly played in the background, Micheal flashed back to earlier times.BRBR  
  
p align=centerDo you still remember, how we used to be?BR  
Feeling together, believing whatever.BR  
My love has said to me.BR  
Both of us were dreamers.BR  
Young love in the sun.BR  
Felt like my savior, my spirit I gave you.BR  
We'd only just begun./pBRBR  
  
~iThey were in the middle of a crazy pillow fight when she suddenly stood up and yelled "Truce." The look in her eyes told him that she wasn't up to anything. So, he agreed to her truce. BRBR  
  
He flopped down on his couch and she cuddled up next to him. "Micheal?" BR BR  
  
"Hmmm?" He replied.BRBR  
  
"Do you remember what it was like between us, when everything began?" She smiled as she thought of their constant bickering. Looking back on it, Isabel was right, they sounded like an old married couple. "Who knew that two people who once wanted to kill each other could fall so deep in love."BRBR  
  
He chuckled in response. "You were infuriating to me. I had always thought of you as Liz's airhead sidekick. I didn't want to deal with you."BRBR  
  
She smacked him in astonishment. "I'll have you know I was not an airhead." She huffed, and crossed her arms mockingly.BRBR  
  
He shook his head in disagreement. "Yes, sometimes you were. You were an oil sniffing, airhead. But other times..." He trailed off as she interupted.BRBR  
  
"Oh yeah, rebel without a clue?" She challenged.BRBR  
  
"Yeah. Bubble brains." He shot back. BRBR  
  
"Dorkbutt." BRBR  
  
"Cheesehead."BRBR  
  
"Space Brains."BRBR  
  
"Space Cadet."BRBR  
  
"Oil sniffing, airhead." He shot back as he stuck his tongue out at her.BRBR  
  
"Oh yeah, at least I know how to use a brush."BRBR  
  
"Is that the best you got, Ms. I sleep with a teddy bear."BRBR  
  
"No. But this game is getting a little...." She said as she made a fake yawing noise. "tiresome."BRBR  
  
He lunged at her and pinned her to the couch. "I'm tiresome, huh? We'll see about that." He declared mischievously.BRBR  
  
A look of panic crossed her face. She knew what he was planning to do. "Micheal, I was just kidding."BRBR  
  
"No. I doubt you were." And with that he began tickling her.BRBR  
  
"Mich-eal, sssssttttooooppp!" She managed to spit out in a fit of giggles.BRBR  
  
"Only if you say the password."BRBR  
  
"I love you Spaceboy." BRBR  
  
He let go of her. "That's what I wanted to hear."BRBR  
  
She laid her head on his chest. "Then I'll say it again, I love you."BRBR  
  
"And I love you."BRBR  
  
"Forever?" She questioned.BRBR  
  
"And a day. My love."BRBR  
  
He loved the feeling of being able to actually say those three words without struggling. She was the only one who made that possible./i~BRBR  
  
p align=centerHasta Mañana, always be mine.BRBR  
  
Viva forever, I'll be waiting.BR  
Everlasting like the sun.BR  
Live forever, for the moment.BR  
Ever searching for the sun./pBRBR  
  
~iHe slowly ran his hands up and down her body. She shuddered as his mouth latched onto one of her sensitive nipples. He took pleasure in driving her insane. He watched as her head fell back against the pillows and her eyes rolled in the back off her head. He knew all of her spots, and took full advantage of them.BRBR  
  
She grabbed a handful of his hair and dragged him back up her body. She burned kisses up the side of his neck, which elicited a groan out of him. And when she finally reached his ear she whispered huskily "I need you inside me now Micheal."BRBR  
  
"Yes Ma'am." He happily complied with her demand, and positioned himself above her.BRBR  
  
There was a look of pure ecstasy on her face as he slowly pushed his way inside her. BRBR  
  
"Mmmmmmicheal." She immediately arched up off the bed. He felt so good. BRBR  
  
"God, you feel so good baby." He breathed in her ear. "So fucking good." The fact that he was talking like that on served to further arouse her.BRBR  
  
He slowly began to pound in and out of her tight body. No matter how many times they had been together she was always so tight. And it always drove him nuts.BRBR  
  
"Uhhhh shit." She cried as she tried to speed up the pace of their love making.  
  
"Maria." He hissed her name softly.  
  
"Faster Micheal." She shrieked. He was going painfully slow. He wanted to take his time with her. But she had other plans. The could go slow another day. She needed release and she needed it now.BRBR  
  
She somehow managed to flip them over, so that she was on top. She began to rock her hips almost violently. He met her thrust for thrust. "Micheal help me."BRBR   
  
He held her hips in an effort to find the pace she wanted. After a few minutes, they finally reached the steady rhythm she so desperately needed. He knew by the look of passion in her glazed, unfocused eyes. "Mmmm right there. Oh God. Don't stop. Right there Micheal." She panted as she laced her fingers through his above his head. They were steadily driving each other insane.BRBR  
  
This wasn't their first time. So there was no awkwardness in their movements. No insecurities. Just pure passion driving them towards oblivion. BRBR  
  
"God. Micheal. So good." She couldn't think straight, not that she could think at all. She couldn't control the way her body responded to his as she raised and lowered herself onto to him. It was as if something primal inside of her took over. She needed him deeper. If that was even possible.BRBR  
  
His mouth latched on to that sensitive spot on her neck. "Baby." He hissed.BRBR  
  
She ran her hands across his chest, feeling all of his muscles contract at her touch.BRBR  
  
"Oh fuck. I'm almost there." She let the fire, and passion take over her. Throwing her head back in ecstasy, her orgasm took over. Maria cried out his name as she flew over the edge.BRBR   
  
"Shit baby." He felt her inner walls clamp down around him. And that was all it took to send him after her./i~BRBR  
  
p align=centerYes I still remember, every whispered word.BR  
The touch of your skin, giving life from within.BR  
Like a love song that I'd heard.BR  
Slipping through our fingers, like the sands of time.BR  
Promises made, every memory saved.BR  
Has reflections in my mind/pBRBR  
  
~iAfterwards, they lay in each other's arms.BRBR  
  
"Micheal, I love you."BRBR  
  
"I love you too, baby."BRBR  
  
"Forever?" She asked dreamily.BRBR  
  
"And a day." He replied as sleep overcame them both./i~BRBR  
  
p align=centerHasta Mañana, Always be mine.BRBR  
  
Viva forever, I'll be waiting.BR  
Everlasting, like the sun.BR  
Live forever, for the moment.BR  
Ever searching for the sun/p BRBR  
  
~i"But you always said that we'd go to college together at UNM Las Cruces. What changed your mind?"BRBR  
  
She shook her head in indifference. "I just need to get out of here Micheal. Too much has happened. And I can't be here right now. I need some space for a little while."BRBR  
  
He looked like hurt. "While are you telling me this now? It's December. We don't graduate until June."BRBR  
  
She shook her head. "No Micheal. You do. Liz does. Max does. Isabel does. But I don't."BRBR  
  
"Ria you're not making any sense."BRBR  
  
She handed him a paper that answered it all./iBRBR  
  
font face="times new roman" size="3"p align=center  
  
West Roswell High SchoolBRBR  
Seniors Who Qualify For January Graduation:BRBR  
  
A * denotes those students who chose to and will be graduating next week.BRBR  
  
Kim Aben *BR  
Anthony AzzuroBR  
Micheal BrachiaBR  
Teresa BrachiaBR  
Maria DeLuca *BR  
Isabel EvansBR  
Denise Lucadamo *BR  
James Santos *BR  
Alexandra Santoriello *BR  
Elaina Zindar *BRBR  
  
Congratulations to all who will be leaving us. We will miss you!/font/pBRBR  
  
font face="verdana,tahoma,ariel" size="2"  
  
i"You're graduating next week?!? Couldn't you have told me about this sooner? What were you just gonna leave without a goodbye?" He asked as tears silently streamed down his face.BRBR  
  
She too had tears in her eyes. "Micheal, it wasn't like that at all. And you know it. I only decided this two weeks ago." She sniffled. "And how dare you think I would leave without saying goodbye to everyone! Especially you!" She screamed at him. "What kind of a person do you think I am. I just need time away from here."BRBR  
  
"Time away from me, you mean." He said bitterly.BRBR  
  
"No not you. I love you. It's just this place, this town. I know there's got to be something better out there for me. And I'm sure there's something better that Roswell, for you."BRBR  
  
"Where are you going?"BRBR  
  
"New York. I promise I will eventually be back. I just need to see more of the world than this rinky-dink town." She said as she embraced him.BRBR  
  
"Promise?"BRBR  
  
"Yeah. I promise."/i~BRBR  
  
p align=centerBut we're all alone now, was it just a dream?BR  
Feelings untold, they will never be sold.BR  
And the secret's safe with me./pBRBR  
  
~i"Attention passengers, this is the final call for Flight 258 to New York. Please proceed to Gate 3."BRBR  
  
"I will call as soon as I get there." She reassured him.BRBR  
  
"You had better. Or I'll come there and bring your little pixie ass home. Y'hear me?"BRBR  
  
She laughed. "Okay Spaceboy. I love you."BRBR  
  
He hugged her tightly as the voice came over the intercom again. "Attention passengers, this is the final call for Flight 258 to New York. Please proceed to Gate 3."BRBR  
  
She reluctantly removed herself from his arms. "That's my flight. I have to go." She kissed him for what was to be their last time. "I love you Spaceboy."BRBR  
  
"I love you too, Cheesehead."BRBR  
  
As she made her way towards the gate she mouthed 'I'll love you forever' to him.BRBR  
  
He in turn mouthed 'And a day', and blew her a kiss.BRBR  
  
She pretended to catch the kiss in her hand. And with that she disappered.BRBR  
  
He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched her plane take off. But he pushed it aside thinking it was nerves. Little did he know that about two months later how right he was./i~BRBR  
  
p align=centerHasta Mañana, Always be mine.BRBR  
  
Viva forever, I'll be waiting.BR  
Everlasting, like the sun.BR  
Live forever, for the moment.BR  
Ever searching for the sun/pBRBR  
  
As the song ended, he was brought out of his revelry by a familiar voice. "Hello Micheal."BRBR  
  
********BRBR  



	5. Part 4: LetThe Games Begin

p align=centerPart 4: Let The Games Begin/pBRBR  
  
Maria pushed the back door of the Crashdown open and trudged upstairs, Ashley in tow. She opened the door to the Parker Apartment. "Hello anybody here?"BRBR  
  
"Maria is that you?" She recognized the voice as belonging to Max.BRBR  
  
"Girlfriend is that you?" She asked humorously. Ashley turned to her and mouthed 'Girlfriend?' to her.BRBR  
  
"I'll explain later." She whispered in response.BRBR  
  
Max quickly ran up to her and engulfed her in a hug. "Maria! How are you?" Despite everything, he was genuinely happy to see her.BRBR  
  
She smiled at him. He was the only one besides Liz and Kyle that she kept in touch with. Although she talked to him and Kyle more than she did Liz. "I'm good Max. You?"BRBR  
  
"I'm all right. It's good to see you. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances." He said sadly.BRBR  
  
"I know." She said as she ruffled his hair affectionately. Nancy and Jeff had been like a second set of parents to her for as long as she could remember.BRBR  
  
Ashley didn't want to interrupt the reunion but he felt a little awkward just standing there. "Aren't you goin ta intraduce us, Ria?"BRBR  
  
"Oh yeah. Max this is Ashley. Ashley this is Max."BRBR  
  
For a moment, Max eyed Ashley carefully. There was something familiar about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. But he did notice one thing. iHe looks so much like Micheal. It's creepy. Well minus the piercings and tattoos that is./iBRBR  
  
Ashley felt a pair a eyes on him and chanced a glance at Max. iHe looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?/iBRBR  
  
Max snapped out his stupor and stuck out his hand. "Hey man. Nice to finally bmeet/b you." He emphasized the word meet with a smirk because he had tried for months to get Maria to come visit but she wasn't having it.BRBR  
  
Ashley shook it. "Same hea. Ria's told me a lot bout you."BRBR  
  
"She didn't tell you anything embarrassing right? Cause if she did...." He asked half joking. But the other half of him also knew that Maria had a tendency to open her mouth about anything and everything at all. He loved her, and she was a great friend, but she babbled a lot.BRBR  
  
"Max that's enough. I didn't say anything about anything embarrassing." She said trying to stop him before bhe/b shot bhis/b mouth off.  
  
Ashley turned back to Max with a smirk on his face just to get Maria all riled up. "We hafta talk lata." Maria shot him a look of death. He would have to pay for that later. iNot dat I mind./i He thought mischievously.BRBR  
  
Max mirrored Ashley's grin. "Sure. We just can't do it when Ria's around. I don't know about you, but I value my life."BRBR  
  
"Aye you don't live wit her." He tried to hold back his laughter. He knew Maria was still in the room.BRBR  
  
Max patted him on the back. "My condolences man."BRBR  
  
Maria shot both of them a look of contempt. "Boys you're treading on dangerous ground now. Max I suggest you cut it out. Cause I know some stories that will have Ava teasing you into your next life." Max caught the double meaning of her words. And Ashley did too. Well at least what it would mean to him. iShe can't possibly be referring to what I think she is. But if she is, I think I finally found them./i Maria turned to her lover and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "And you mister, will be sleeping on the couch when we get home if your not careful."BRBR  
  
Max cringed on Ashley's behalf. "Ouch."BRBR  
  
"Max." Maria warned.BRBR  
  
"Sorry. I swear I won't do it again." He said while failing to hide his smirk.BRBR  
  
"Okay now, where is everyone?"BRBR  
  
"Izzy and Kyle are in the Livingroom. Micheal's somewhere. And Liz and Ava are in Liz's bedroom. Asleep I think."BRBR  
  
"Okay." She said as she walked into the Livingroom. The first person she laid eyes on was her brother, sitting in the recliner along side the couch. But he didn't notice her. He was too busy watching Isabel sleeping silently next to him. iThat is adorable. I wonder if Ashley does the same thing./iBRBR  
  
"Kyle." She whispered. "Kyle."BRBR  
  
He turned to her with a smirk on his face. "Well if it isn't my little sister." He said as he enveloped her in a hug. "How are you Ria?"BRBR  
  
"I'm okay ya big lug. You?"BRBR  
  
"I'm good." He smirked.BRBR  
  
"How's Izzy?"BRBR  
  
"She's good too." He said with absolute adoration in his eyes.BRBR  
  
"Where's Spaceboy?"BRBR  
  
Ashley was silent through the whole exchange. iGirlfriend? Spaceboy? What is this?/iBRBR  
  
"He's in his room."BRBR  
  
"His room?"BRBR  
  
"Oh yeah. He stays over here a lot so we all refer to the guest room as Micheal's room. Jeff and Nancy," He stopped for a second to regain composure. This was going to be hard on all of them. "started calling it his room first. It kinda stuck because he's here all the time."BRBR  
  
Maria saw the pain flash across his features for a second. This was going to take a long time to recover from. Jeff and Nancy had been like parents to everyone. They knew the kids had secrets but they never pressed for information out of any of them. They respected their need for secrecy. Just as the Evans' did. Jeff had been like the father she never had, iWell until now./i before Amy had married Jim. Nancy had always been the voice of reason, making her see the light whenever her and her mother fought. They were such good people. It made no sense why they would be the ones to die so needlessly. BRBR  
  
"If you say so. I'm gonna go see how he is." She said as she left all three men in her wake.BRBR  
  
Kyle turned to Ashley. "Sup man?"BRBR  
  
"Nada. You?" He said as his shook his soon to be brother in law's hand. iBut they don't know that yet./iBRBR  
  
"Not much."BRBR  
  
They had met before when he went with his father and step-mother to go visit Maria in New York. It was just after his little sister, Tasha, was born. After spending a few days with him. He decided that Ashley was good for Maria. He had never seen so much light in her eyes before. She seemed freer, happier. But of course he had given him the big brother talk, even though Ashley was older than him.BRBR  
  
i"What are your intentions with my sister?" He asked honestly.BRBR  
  
"Well I don't plan on hurting her. I love her." The look on Ashley's face said he meant every word.BRBR  
  
"Just see that you don't. I don't give a shit who you are or whose kid you are. If you hurt Maria. You. Will. Regret. It. She's had enough to deal with in the past."BRBR  
  
"I won't. I promise."BRBR  
  
"I trust that you won't. You seem like a good guy. But remember what I said."BRBR  
  
"I will."/iBRBR  
  
p align=centerThe Guest Room; Micheal's Room./pBRBR  
  
She walked in just to hear the ending of 'Viva Forever' by the Spice Girls.BRBR  
  
His back was to her. She guessed he was in deep thought about something. Most likely the situation at hand. But she needed to announce her presence.BRBR  
  
"Hello Micheal."BRBR   
  
"Maria." He retorted softly in acknowledgment of her presence. It was a few moments before he actually turned to face her.BRBR  
  
When he did, Maria could see that Liz wasn't kidding: he had changed A LOT. His hair was back to its former state of spikiness, only a bit shorter than before with subtle blonde highlights. Both of his ears were pierced. And when she glanced at his face she noticed that he had the look of a very broken man in his eyes, which she didn't expect. Well she kinda did but it still hurt her to think, i I did that to him./i But the biggest change of all was the fact that he was so built. iDamn Spaceboy looks good!/i Not that he was lanky or anything before, it was just that he wasn't as lean as Max. Liz had told her that to release frustration, rather than blowing things up or taking it out on his walls, he would work out. And it was udefinitely/u noticeable under the white T-shirt he was wearing. It hugged him in all the right places. He had very nice biceps which were uvery/u visible. And he now had a six pack that could easily rival Kyle's. She had also seen that he now had a tattoo on his left bicep: a small heart that was broken in two with the word Spaceboy across it.BRBR  
  
"Micheal, you look good." She found it hard to speak as she met his eyes. He looked so lost.BRBR  
  
"You do too. Ria." He said solemnly, as he gave her a once over. She had that I-can-take-on-the-world look about her. She stood before him in a black tank top that said Babygirl in rhinestones, a pair of black bellbottoms that clung to her curves perfectly and black high heel boots. And he could hear hints of a New York accent in her voice. He long hair was swept up in a ponytail with some loose tendrils around her face. She was wearing a name plate that said Ashley's Babygirl. He could also see that she had her tongue pierced.BRBR  
  
She decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "I know we have some things to talk about but I..."BRBR  
  
"Now is not the time nor the place Ria. We'll discuss everything later." He declared defiantly. She could hear a bitterness in his tone.BRBR  
  
She nodded in agreement. iOkay who are you and what have you done with my Spaceboy? Wait a minute, he hasn't be my Spaceboy for a long time./iBRBR  
  
"Okay fair enough. How are you doing?"BRBR  
  
He looked her dead in the eyes. She could see unshed tears threatening to spill over. "I'm okay I guess. But Liz..."BRBR  
  
"Liz what, Micheal?"BRBR  
  
The tears finally slipped down his cheeks. "She's taking it so hard. I don't understand why everything always happens to her. It's just not fair."BRBR  
  
She crossed the room and put her arms around him. "I know Micheal. It isn't fair. But we can't change it." She said as tears pooled up in her own eyes. "They're," She sniffled. " they're gone."BRBR  
  
He broke down. "But, you didn't see that lost look in her eyes Ria." He cried. "She was so lost. She closed herself up to everyone. She's only 17. She's done nothing to deserve this. And Ava just turned 16. This is wrong." He sniffled. "Just wrong." He added softly.BRBR  
  
Maria remembered that gentleness in his voice. It was reserved solely for her. In the old days at least. Memories flashed through her head of the old days all the time. It seemed like another lifetime. It all seemed so long ago. Looking back on it, Micheal really did love her. But she at some point just fell out of love with him. Yet, now, she continued to hold him like she used to. If only for that moment. iI should at least give him this. If only for a few seconds. /i BRBR  
  
For a moment, Micheal pretended to forget that she wasn't his anymore and relished in the fact that her arms were around him. He could pretend for that one second that she still loved him. And it felt good. He missed her touch so badly. He missed being loved so much. Then reality set back in and he dislodged himself from her arms, a look of pain flashing through his eyes.BRBR  
  
She knew why he had pulled back. "Micheal I'm sor-"BRBR  
  
"Save it. Sorry doesn't change anything. Like I said: We'll. Discuss. This. Later." He said as he angrily wiped the tears from his face. "There's more important things to worry about than bmy/b feelings right now.BRBR  
  
"But.."BRBR  
  
"But nothing." He abruptly cut her off.BRBR  
  
She gave him a look of contempt. She was about to open her mouth when she was once again cut off.BRBR  
  
Another obviously male voice drifted into the room and interupted what was sure to soon develop into a fight. "Baby, you in dere?" BRBR  
  
"Yea sweetie. Come here."BRBR  
  
If Micheal didn't know any better, he could swear that the guy who just walked in could pass for his brother. iWell isn't that just hysterical. Add insult to injury much Ria?/i He thought cynically. Maria gave the guy a small pec on the cheek and took his hand in hers. He could see the look of love the other guy gave her as she smiled up at him adoringly. iSo this must be Ashley. That's it. There's no way I'll ever get her back. This looks like they're both in it for the long haul. At least he'll take good care of her./i "Micheal this is my boyfriend Ashley. Ashley this is Micheal."BRBR  
  
"Hey." Was Micheal's response.BRBR  
  
"Wut up." Was Ashley's. iYep, definitely a New Yorker./i Was Micheal's thought.BRBR  
  
Meanwhile Ashley was thinking other thoughts as he looked at Micheal. iIt can't be? Could it. No. It's just not possible. He couldn't be here. They never said anything about it. He's here. I finally found him./i Maria interupted his train of thought. BRBR  
  
"Micheal where is Liz?" She asked as she clutched Ashley's hand tightly.BRBR  
  
"She's asleep in her room. So is Ava."BRBR  
  
"How they doin'?" Ashley asked in true concern.BRBR  
  
He shook his head sadly. "Not good. Not good at all." BRBR  
  
Maria turned to Ashley, "Baby I'm gonna go check on them."BRBR  
  
"Aight. I'll be hea."BRBR  
  
As soon as she exited the room, Ashley tried to strike up a conversation with Micheal.BRBR  
  
"So seriously, how are they?"BRBR  
  
Micheal glanced at Ashley waringly. "Like I said this is hitting them really hard. It's gonna take a long time for them to get over it. Especially Liz."BRBR  
  
Ashley noted the soft look in Micheal's eyes as he spoke Liz's name. iInteresting./i "You care about her a lot, don't you?"BRBR  
  
"Yeah I do. She doesn't deserve this after all the shit she's been through."BRBR  
  
iOkay/i Ashley thought. iTime ta change da topic. Like yestaday./iBRBR  
  
"What's da deal wit Ria?"BRBR  
  
iCould we not get into this shit again. I've had enough for one day./i "What do you mean?" Micheal asked impatiently.BRBR  
  
iAight, I obviously asked da wrong question. But I might as well stick wit it./i "What went down wit you two?"BRBR  
  
"It's complicated."BRBR  
  
"I got time." He said as he took a seat at the desk.BRBR  
  
"I really don't want to discuss it. I might say some things I'll regret later."BRBR  
  
Ashley could sympathize to an extent. He had a girlfriend that was with him for three years that just up and left one day without a word. He felt for Micheal. The pain in his eyes shone through every time he looked at Maria. He wanted to know what happened. He had heard Maria's version. Now he wanted to hear Micheal's. And not only because he was curious of the situation. Now that he found who he was searching for, for most of this life, at least; he wanted to know every bit of information about his life. He bneeded/b to know everything.BRBR  
  
iWho does this guy think he is?/i "Why do you care?"BRBR  
  
"I just do." iIf you only knew Rath./iBRBR  
  
p align=centerLiz's Room/pBRBR  
  
Maria pushed the door open carefully. She didn't want to wake either girl up. But Ava was already awake.BRBR  
  
She stretched out in the chair by Liz's bed. "Maria? Is that you?"BRBR  
  
"Hey Ava. How are you?"BRBR  
  
"I'm okay I guess. Considering the circumstances."BRBR  
  
Maria looked at Ava. She too had changed. Her hair was now long and a soft shade of brown. She didn't look like a little 'hoodlum' anymore. And she no longer seemed as timid as she once was. iEveryone went on without me./i Maria thought sadly. She decided that she'd put all hard feelings she had for Tess aside and treat Ava like she should've in the beginning. Besides, Ava had just celebrated her 16th birthday no more than two days ago. iWhat a present huh?/i BRBR  
  
She slowly bent down in front of Ava. "I know this is gonna be hard sweetie. But I promise I'll be here if you need me." She was startled as the girl reached out and hugged her. "Thanks Maria. That means a lot."BRBR  
  
"I know we haven't gotten along too well in the past but I promise that will change."BRBR  
  
"Thank you, Maria." Ava said as tears welled up in her crystal blue eyes.BRBR  
  
Maria felt her own eyes begin to water once again. "You're welcome, Ava."BRBR  
  
They were interupted by a soft knocking at the door.BRBR  
  
Ava's head shot up, "That's Micheal."BRBR  
  
Maria felt a twinge of jealousy again. She resented the bond that they all shared. At least when Alex was here, she wasn't alone.BRBR  
  
Without either of them saying a word, Micheal slowly opened the door. He first laid eyes on Maria, and she caught his hard gaze. But she noticed a change in his demeanor when he saw Ava. "How are you Av?" This was a side of Micheal that she wasn't used to seeing on a regular basis. He used to only act like this around her. She again felt a twinge of jealousy tug at her heart. iI've missed so much./i He had finally opened up. Just not when she was around.BRBR  
  
"Aight. I guess." Ava responded despondently.BRBR  
  
"C'mere." He commanded softly as he opened up his arms to her.BRBR  
  
Maria watched as she quickly stood and went to him. He hugged her tightly as she began to sob.BRBR  
  
She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Liz was beginning to stir.BRBR  
  
Before Liz even opened her eyes, Ava sensed she was awake and whispered to Micheal. "Go to her, she needs you." Even though it hurt that Liz seemed to need Micheal more, she understood. And she also knew that Micheal would take good care of her. He would never let her down. He had been let down too many times. And he was good at learning from others' mistakes. These days at least.BRBR  
  
Micheal pushed past Maria and sat next to Liz on the bed. Maria eyed the exchange carefully.BRBR  
  
Liz slowly opened her eyes. The first person she saw was Micheal. He gently cupped her cheek. "How are you?"BRBR  
  
She leaned into his hand while covering it with her own. "I honestly don't know Micheal. I feel like I've been hit with a train." She sniffled.BRBR  
  
He put his arm around her when she sat up a bit. Somehow it ended up that she was sitting in between his legs with his arms around her waist. She instinctively curled into him. She looked so lost. BRBR  
  
"Av?" Liz questioned still seeing her sister standing in the doorway with her arms wrapped around herself.BRBR  
  
"Lizzy?"BRBR  
  
"Come here." Liz said as she patted the bed.BRBR  
  
Ava sat down on the edge of the bed. Liz motioned for her to come closer. When she did, she was promptly pulled into an embrace by her sister.BRBR  
  
Maria watched as Micheal held both girls protectively. While the girls held each other tightly. She felt she was intruding on the moment so she made an excuse.BRBR  
  
"I'm gonna go find Ashley."BRBR  
  
Only Micheal acknowledged her statement. He nodded slightly. So she left the room.BRBR  
  
Once outside, she sunk to her knees in the hallway. She let out a sob. She began to cry. Ashley saw her and was in front of her in an instant.BRBR  
  
"Baby, was wrong?" He asked as he reached for her hands.BRBR   
  
She looked up at him. "Liz didn't even notice I was there. It's like she doesn't need me." She cried.BRBR  
  
Ashley pulled her to him. "Don't think that way baby. She needs ya. She's just very emotional right now. Give her some time. I promise." He said as he attempted to wipe the tears from her beautiful face.BRBR  
  
"You're probably right. I love you, Ash."BRBR  
  
He smiled. He never got tired of hearing those words uttered from her mouth. "I love you too baby. I always will." BRBR  
  
He helped her up. "C'mon let's go see what your bro is up ta." He draped an arm around her.BRBR  
  
She nodded and grasped the hand that he had around her waist. "Okay."BRBR  
  
They walked into the Livingroom only to find Kyle and Isabel asleep in each other's arms. So Ashley sat down on the recliner and pulled Maria into his lap. "Sleep love." He told her. "It's been a long day. An' we got some rough ones comin'."BRBR  
  
She smiled sleepily as he uttered the word 'we'. In their relationship, it wasn't even just her or him it was always them. They did things together as one. Not separately. As was the case with her and Micheal. But, truth be told, Micheal was the furthest thing from her mind as sleep overtook her.BRBR  
  
Meanwhile...BRBR  
  
Both Ava and Liz had drifted off on Micheal as they sat on Liz's bed. He didn't mind. Not at all. They needed their rest. The next few days were going to be the hardest of all. He knew that firsthand. Which is why thoughts of Maria drifted into his mind as dreamland began to take over him. And this was only just the beginning of what was to come. The road ahead was paved with surprises, with the biggest one of all being for him.BRBR  
  
********BRBR  



	6. Part 5: Remember Me This Way

p align=centerPart 5: Remember Me This Way/p BRBR   
  
Ashley woke up at around 3 o'clock in the morning. He didn't really know why,   
but he had this nagging urge to check on everyone. Maria was snuggled up on   
the chair next to him. Kyle and Isabel were asleep on the couch. As he made   
his way around the apartment, he noticed Ava was no longer in Liz's room;   
instead, she was curled up like a baby in Max's arms. iOkay both sets of   
brother and sister accounted for. Onto the last set of siblings./i He took a   
peak into Liz's room. There on Liz's bed, were Micheal and Liz. She clung to   
him like he was her lifeline, even in her sleep. And he was holding on to her   
protectively. iHe may be hurting because of Maria now./i He thought.   
iBut he'll eventually see what I do: He should be wit Liz./i He smiled. iIt   
also figures that once again it takes his heart being broken for him to find   
the real bone/b. It happened in our last life too./i Ashley thought   
ruefully.BRBR   
  
He sighed. He had been waiting to find them for so long. To find him. iIt's   
just my luck dat I fall in love wit da girl dat had his heart. I guess fate is   
comin back ta bite me in da ass./i He chuckled to himself. iWell I guess   
dat mean dat Ria an I will get married for sure. Coz when the same thing   
happen with Ayara, I ended up marrying her. And we was so god damn happy.   
Well Rath was pissed for a little while, till he found Akyra./iBRBR   
  
Micheal felt someone staring at him. And for some reason he knew that   
person was Ashley. iI wonder why I feel like I know him from somewhere.   
And for some reason since him and Maria showed up, I've been getting this   
weird feeling of deja vu. Maybe it's just me./i He felt Liz snuggle into him a   
little more. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. iI shouldn't   
even be caring about this at the moment. Liz is the most important thing   
right now./iBRBR   
  
p align=center 3 Days Later: WednesdayBR   
The Funerals/pBRBR   
  
Liz sat in the funeral home in a daze. So many people had come to pay their   
respects to her parents. Their entire family was there. Even some of her   
and Ava's friends from school. Each of them coming up to her and Ava   
uttering words of sympathy. But none of it helped. She just wanted her   
parents back home, safe and sound. As did Ava. iBut be realistic Liz./i   
She thought to herself. iThey're not coming back. You're an orphan now./i   
She let a small sob loose as she stared at the coffins that held her parents.   
Ava wouldn't allow her to look inside at. She told her that it would be too   
painful for either of them. Their parents bodies had been burnt so badly.iI   
never got to say goodbye/i She thought over and over.BRBR   
  
Max was somewhat relieved as he looked at his girlfriend and her sister.   
iAt least they're taken care of. That's all that I can possibly ask for right   
now. For either of them. Life is not going to be easy for them anymore. And   
it's not fair. But neither is life./i He was glad that there were some things   
that Liz and Ava would never have to worry for. They had gone to the   
reading of the will that morning. Apparently, Jeff and Nancy had been   
prepared in the event of their deaths. Funeral plans had already been set up,   
saving the girls the heartache. They had everything taken care of every last   
detail in their will. They left everything to Liz and Ava: the Crashdown, the   
money (And it was quite a lot at that. Jeff and Nancy had never informed   
Liz and Ava that they had so much money in the bank. Then again they never   
asked.), both of Grandma Claudia's summer homes(One in Florida, the other   
in Mexico.), and a small vacation home in Saratoga Springs, New York. So   
they had no worries about money and such. Jeff and Nancy had made sure   
that both of their daughters, in addition to Micheal, knew how to run the   
restaurant. So that took a little bit of pressure off of the Parker   
girls.BRBR   
  
The two of them sat there, hand in hand, veils covering their faces. The   
sight alone was enough to make anyone cry. Neither spoke a word, simply   
nodding their heads at anyone who spoke to them. Ava was concentrating on   
the caskets that held her parents. Both were closed. Jeff and Nancy's   
bodies had been too badly burned to have an open casket. And both Max and   
Micheal had convinced her that it wouldn't be wise for Liz's sake either.   
Speaking of Micheal, he was standing off to the side with Max, Kyle, and   
Ashley. All five had black suits on. iIt figures that the only time we get   
Kyle and Micheal into suits is for my parents' funeral./i She thought as   
tears streamed down her face.BRBR   
  
Isabel still did not understand how this all could have happened to Ava and   
Liz. They had never done anything wrong to deserve such pain. Well she   
remembered Ava saying that she had done what she needed to survive when   
she was living in New York City. Because Rath, Lonnie and even Zan were of   
no help to her. But other than that she had done nothing wrong. And Liz.   
Well Liz was a saint. It was all so senseless. They were just 16 and 17, and   
now they were orphans. iWhy them? They've done nothing./i She   
screamed silently. iNothing./iBRBR   
  
Kyle watched Ava and Liz carefully. It was only a matter of time before one   
or both of them had a breakdown. He felt the hurt, anger and sadness   
coming from both of them. iThey'll never be the same again./i He thought   
sadly. iEspecially Liz. She hasn't spoken in three days. Not even to Micheal.   
Ava at least gives albeit one words answers, at least talks./i A sense of   
dred washed over him as he glanced at the elder Parker sister. He felt that   
Liz would be the one to have a total breakdown. iShe can't handle this shit.   
She's had too much to deal with in the past two years. Alex's death. Her and   
Max's break-up. Max and Ava getting together. And Maria up and leaving for   
New York. It's weird. We're all here for her, and yet she's all alone at the   
same time./i BRBR   
  
Ashley felt somewhat out of place at the Parker funeral. He didn't even   
know them. Yet, as he kept a trained eye on Liz and Ava, he felt like he had   
been there before. Not so much in the funeral home itself. But in the same   
situation. Watching two sisters grieving for their parents. The only thing   
that seemed to be missing was the solemn older brother who had a knack for   
fading into the background. He shook himself in an effort to rid his mind of   
the thoughts. He had only witnessed and felt such sadness once before in   
his life. iBut that was another lifetime. Far away from here./iBRBR   
  
Micheal felt his heart break for what seemed like the thousandth time as he   
kept a watchful eye on Liz and Ava. Just five days ago, both of them were   
chasing him around the Crashdown laughing. Now, he wasn't sure either of   
them would ever laugh that way again. Like Kyle, he could feel the sadness   
just flowing off them in waves. Liz hadn't uttered so much as one word in the   
past three days, and he was starting to get really worried for her.BRBR   
  
He broke out of his stupor for a moment because he thought he felt   
someone boring holes into the back of his head. He turned around only to be   
met with the dead on stare of guy in the corner. He had similar features to   
Liz (Dark eyes, dark hair, olive complexion.) only he was a bit taller and   
seemed a hell a lot more rough around the edges. Kind of like himself.   
iMust be one of Liz's cousins I guess./i He thought as he gave the guy a   
once over. Yet something seemed vaguely familiar about him. Like the same   
vaguely familiar feeling he got around Ashley. iWeird./i Was his only   
thought on the matter.BRBR   
  
It still didn't seem real to Maria, as she sat in the funeral home clutching   
her mother's left and her father's right hands tightly. iThey can't be dead.   
Soon, we'll all wake up and find that this was just a cruel joke./i It seemed   
as if the entire state of New Mexico had turned out to morn Jeff and   
Nancy Parker. iEveryone loved them./i Her mother sat there sobbing   
silently. Nancy had been Amy's best friend since they were the tender age   
of 5. And they had been inseparable since. They had been there for each   
other for everything. Which also served to a contributing factor to how   
close she and Liz were. They had been like a second set of parents for her,   
through thick and thin.BRBR   
  
She turned to her father with tear-filled eyes only to be met with his own;   
full of unshed tears. He too was extremely upset. He and Jeff had been   
best friends since high school. Jeff had been his best man at both of his   
weddings; the first to Kyle's mother Michelle, the second being obviously to   
Amy. And he had been Jeff's at his wedding to Nancy. There was a lot of   
history between the Parkers and the Valentis. They had shared everything   
over the years. But never in their lives did Amy and Jim think that they   
would have to bury their best friends *brother and sister* so young.   
Neither would live to see their fortieth birthdays. But the saddest part of   
all was that they would never get the chance to see either of their   
daughters graduate from high school. BRBR   
  
  
p align=centerThe Final Good-byes/pBRBR   
So many people had come up and said their piece about Jeff and Nancy.   
Some told funny stories from high school. Some talked about what kind of   
people they were. Others just spoke about how the Parkers had lent a   
helping hand when it desperately needed. It was something they had been   
known for. Everyone in town, in some way or another had been witness to the   
Parkers' graciousness.BRBR   
  
Ava and Liz had asked Maria to sing at the service. She agreed. So she   
ended up singing "Remember Me This Way" as the funeral procession made   
its way to the cemetery next door. It had been their mother's favorite song.   
So it only seemed fitting.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriEvery now and then,BR   
we find a special friend.BR   
Who never lets us down.BR   
Who understands it all,BR   
reaches out each time you fall.BR   
You're the best friend that I've found./i/pBRBR   
  
The procession was led by the caskets. Jim, Kyle, Ashley and Philip carried   
Nancy's. While Max, Micheal, and Jeff's brothers Tony, Christopher, and   
Adrian carried Jeff's. BRBR   
  
p align=centeriI know you can't stay.BR   
But part of you will never ever go away.BR   
Your heart will stay.BR   
I'll make a wish for you,BR   
and hope it will come true.BR   
That life will just be kind,BR   
to such a gentle mind./i/pBRBR   
  
They were followed by Maria who was trying as hard as she could to continue   
singing the song without breaking into tears.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriIf you lose your way,BR   
think back on yesterday.BR   
Remember me this way.BR   
Remember me this way. /i/pBRBR   
  
Next came Ava, Isabel and Liz. Isabel stood in the middle while Ava was on   
her left and Liz was on the right. Each of them clung to Isabel's arms   
tightly. All three were silently crying.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriI don't need eyes to see,BR   
the love you bring to me.BR   
No matter where I go.BR   
And I know that you'll be there.BR   
Forever more a part of me,BR   
you're everywhere.BR   
I'll always care./i/pBRBR   
  
And they were followed by Amy who was holding onto Tony's wife Terese and   
Diane Evans for dear life. Both had tears streaming down their   
faces.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriI'll make a wish for you,BR   
and hope it will come true.BR   
That life will just be kind,BR   
to such a gentle mind.BR   
If you lose your way,BR   
think back on yesterday.BR   
Remember me this way.BR   
Remember me this way. /i/pBRBR   
  
Not too far behind were Chris and Adrian's wives, Lisa and Shannon. And all   
the Parker cousins. Nancy was an only child so the only family from her side   
that was there were her aunt and uncle who elderly. They held hands tightly   
with tears in their eyes.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriAnd I'll be right behind your shoulder watching you.BR   
I'll be standing by your side in all you do.BR   
And I won't ever leave,BR   
as long as you believe.BR   
You just believe /i/pBRBR   
  
Jeff's casket was the first one lowered into the wide grave. It was quickly   
followed by Nancy's, which was placed next to Jeff's. Sobs could be heard all   
around as Ava and Liz walked up to the grave hand in hand and dropped roses   
onto the caskets. Everyone else soon followed suit. Amy buried her head into   
Jim's shoulder. Diane cried into Philip's jacket. Neither woman could bear to   
watch the bodies of their long time friends being lowered into the ground.   
Neither man could stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks as they held   
their grieving wives.BRBR   
  
p align=centeriI'll make a wish for you,BR   
and hope it will come true.BR   
That life will just be kind,BR   
to such a gentle mind.BR   
If you lose your way,BR   
think back on yesterday.BR   
Remember me this way.BR   
Remember me this way. /i/pBRBR   
  
Finally the service was over. And the only people that remained were all of   
the Valentis, the Evans, the Parker girls, and Micheal and Ashley. A strange   
silence fell over the group as they watched the workmen begin to fill the   
grave. It was quickly broken however by Liz's cries of anguish as she fell to   
her knees beside her parents' final resting place.BRBR   
  
Micheal and Maria sunk down and held her tightly as she cried. Maria let out   
muffled sobs as she clutched Liz's hand. And Micheal tried to but found that   
he could no longer hold back his tears. So they clung to each other crying.   
Kyle held onto a sorrowful Isabel. And Ava collapsed into Max's arms, next   
to Micheal, Liz and Maria. Ashley stood back and let the tears drip down his   
face at the mournful scene before him. He could feel everyone's sadness.   
And it was beginning to feel like it was his own.BRBR   
  
Amy, Jim, Philip, and Diane stood together weeping as they watched all their   
children. It was a heartbreaking scene. One that they had never imagined   
they would ever have to bear witness to. But here they were. And the reality   
of it all caused both women to turned away once more. It was too hard to   
watch a group who had just barely begun to live their lives, deal with such   
dreadful circumstances. They were too young to have such tortured looks in   
their eyes. But nonetheless they did. And they would for some time to   
come.BRBR   
********BRBR 


	7. Part 6: Secrets, Lies, & Betrayal

p align=centerPart 6: Secrets, Lies, & Betrayal/pBRBR   
  
After the funeral, everybody had gone to their respective homes. Micheal   
went with Liz and Ava. Of his own volition, he had decided that he would be   
staying with them for at the very least the time being. He really did not   
want to be alone anyway. Seeing Maria had reopened wounds that had only   
begun to heal. He felt like he wanted to punch a wall. And being around Liz   
would keep him from doing so. She was the one who had coerced him into   
working out as a means of releasing frustration instead of beating up his   
apartment in the first place.BRBR   
  
So he went home with them. Well so did Max. But he was only there long   
enough to make sure Ava got to bed okay. iFigures. He cares about no one   
else./i As soon as she was asleep, he said goodbye and left. Not that   
Micheal had a problem with that. Ever since their messy break up, Liz got   
uneasy whenever she saw Max, a fact which only Micheal noticed. So him   
sticking around didn't really seem to be a necessity. She didn't need the   
added pain. Especially now.BRBR   
  
Sure he didn't really want to be around Maria, but that was besides the   
point. Maria hadn't cheated on him. But Max had on Liz. He still held anger   
towards his best friend for sleeping with Tess. Max had claimed that he had   
seen that Liz cheated on him. To which he had replied, "Bullshit." If Max had   
really loved Liz even just a shred of how much he claimed he did, he would   
have seen that it was a lie. But then again Max wasn't too swift at reading   
between the lines.BRBR   
  
That was another thing that bothered him. Max never had the faith that Liz   
wouldn't do such a thing. And with Kyle none the less. He had found it rather   
funny. He knew that Liz would never be so stupid. But on the other hand, he   
had never known that Max could.BRBR   
  
But he really didn't care to reminisce over how much an idiot Max was right   
now. He had too much on his mind. Maria and Ashley for instance. It wasn't   
that he didn't like Ashley, it was just that he got weird vibes when he saw   
him. It felt as if he knew him from somewhere. He just couldn't figure out   
from where.BRBR   
  
And the whole situation with Maria gave him a weird feeling. Like he had   
been in the same exact situation before. But he couldn't remember. He   
hadn't got that far yet on memory retrieval with Ava. Not that she retained   
many of her memories either. But he had the distinct feeling that she   
remembered a little more than she led on. But he knew she would spill in due   
time. Like Isabel said she and Tess are as different as day and   
night.BRBR   
  
He quickly jarred himself once again. iI need some sleep./i He thought as   
he stripped off his one and only suit (Or that damn suit as he referred to it.   
Liz and Isabel made him buy it for special occasions.) He pulled a pair of his   
baggy sweats out of the dresser and changed into them. Once changed, he   
drew back the blankets on his bed and climbed in. It had been a long & tiring   
day, so he was quickly asleep. But he wouldn't stay that way for long.BRBR   
  
~iMicheal examined his surroundings. It was all so strange yet so familiar   
at the same time. He watched another version of himself glancing around the   
room. He was a bit bigger height and muscle wise, but he still had that spiky   
hair. 'It must be one of my memories from Antar. Which would make that   
guy Rath. I think. But I'm not sure.' He thought as he watched Rath walk   
towards a large set of double doors and proceed to push them open.BRBR   
  
He followed him out onto the balcony of his suite. It was on the third floor   
of what he guessed was the Royal Palace. The view from where they were   
standing was amazing. Everything was simply awe inspiring to him as he   
looked around. The colors here seemed so much more vibrant. The clouds   
were the deepest shade of blue. The grass was so green. The roses were   
remarkably red. He inhaled deeply. The air was so crisp and fresh. It took   
his breath away. 'So this is what home is like? It's beautiful.'BRBR   
  
"Rath, my love are you here?" He heard a woman say as she entered his   
quarters. Micheal didn't get a very good look at her. But he knew she was   
breath taking. 'But how in the hell do I know that? What the hell am I doing   
here though?'BRBR   
  
He guessed at first, that Rath must not have heard her because he didn't   
turn to acknowledge her presence. But something told him that wasn't the   
case. 'Or he's feigning ignorance. Wait did I just think that? Okay where the   
hell am I?' BRBR   
  
She carefully and quietly walked up behind Rath. She quickly slid her arms   
around to caress his bare chest. "Mmm my love. I've missed you." She said as   
she placed open mouth kisses to the back of his neck and shoulders.BRBR   
  
Micheal suddenly realized that he felt all Rath's emotions. He felt the love   
and devotion toward her pouring off Rath in waves as he gave in to her   
ministrations. And, as her hands explored Rath's shoulders, he could see   
what looked to be a wedding ring gleaming on her left hand. It was some sort   
of silver or white gold with a bunch of symbols on it. 'His wife?' He asked   
silently. 'This doesn't make sense.'BRBR   
  
The next thing Micheal knew, he was no longer an observer of the scene   
before him; rather, he was now an active participant. bHe was Rath./b He   
could feel his body responding to her. He groaned. It was intoxicating. She   
held such power over him. And he liked it. This felt vaguely familiar to him.   
But it felt really good. 'Who gives a shit about sense right now.'BRBR   
  
She knew just what to do to drive him crazy. It seemed as if every nerve   
ending in his body was alive with pleasure. He felt himself turn her in his   
arms and kiss her passionately. He then trailed his mouth down her neck as   
she ran her hands up and down his back. "Rath." She whispered dazily as the   
passion took them over./i~BRBR   
  
Suddenly Micheal was thrown out of the dream, but not before uttering his   
lover's name in response. "Akyra."BRBR   
  
He woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. iWhat the hell was that. And   
who the hell is Akyra?/i He had to say her name again. "Akyra?" He   
questioned himself. The name felt so foreign on his tongue yet so right at   
the same time. BRBR   
  
It took him a minute to get his bearings straight but when he did, he went   
in search of the one person he knew could answer or at least attempt to   
answer that question.BRBR   
  
He found Ava just where he thought he would: out on the balcony of Liz's   
room, smoking a cigarette. That wasn't surprising at all. Whenever anyone   
was looking for her, she could be found here. What bwas/b surprising   
was who was sitting there with her.BRBR   
  
iShe smokes?/i "I didn't know you smoke." BRBR   
  
Liz turned to him. She looked like, he couldn't describe it any other way but   
iShit/i. He had never seen her so bad. Her eyes were red and puffy from   
hours upon hours of crying. Her normally perfect hair was now horribly   
disheveled. And she had a lost look in her piercing brown eyes.BRBR   
  
"I did a long time ago. I figured now is as any good a time as ever to revive   
old habits." She spoke calmly despite her slowly crumbling world.BRBR   
  
"I see." He said while giving a questioning look to Ava.BRBR   
  
As she took a drag from her cigarette, Ava sent him a look that said iDon't   
start any shit with my sister./iBRBR   
  
He sat down next to her. "Got an extra?" He questioned.BRBR   
  
Both girls' eyebrows raised in surprise. "Micheal I know you don't smoke."   
Ava said matter of factly. BRBR   
  
"How do you know? Huh?" He asked slightly agitated. iThe plan was to talk   
to Ava and Ava only./iBRBR   
  
"Chill. I gots one for you." She said as she opened her pack of Newports and   
handed him one.BRBR   
  
"Thank you." He waved his hand over the cigarette and inhaled. BRBR   
  
Liz had fully expected him to gag, but he didn't.BRBR   
  
He took a long drag and let it out very slowly. It felt strangely good to have   
the nicotine back in his system. Especially now that they were all under so   
much stress. iIt's been a long time since I've had one of these. /i He   
thought to himself.BRBR   
  
"I...I didn't know that you..." Liz stammered.BRBR   
  
He cut her off. "I used to back when I lived with Hank."BRBR   
  
She nodded in understanding. "I can understand that." She said   
sympathetically. iI can definitely understand that. He went through a lot   
when he was living with Hank. He put up with a lot of shit./iBRBR   
  
Ava remember what Liz had told her of Micheal's days with Hank. She   
decided that a change of topic was long overdue. "So what brings you out   
here at," She asked as she checked her ring watch, "Oh three o'clock in the   
morning?"BRBR   
  
"Let's just say I had an interesting dream." He answered cryptically.BRBR   
  
"What kinda dream?" iIs he remembering things from home?/iBRBR   
  
Liz heard the urgency in her sister's voice and knew exactly where this line   
of questioning was leading. "Micheal did you have a dream about   
Antar?"BRBR   
  
iAs always Liz hits the nail right on the head/i "I think so." He said   
flatly.BRBR   
  
"Whaddya mean you think so?"BRBR   
  
"Well answer me this, who was Akyra?"BRBR   
  
Ava's face suddenly drained of all color. iI knew she would come up   
eventually./iBRBR   
  
When he was met with silence, Micheal asked the question again. He was   
growing angry. iI hate when she does this. She probably remembers so   
much more than she lets on. She's keeping secrets from me./i "Ava do not   
lie to me.   
Who is Akyra?"BRBR   
  
Sensing her sister's distress, Liz spoke up. "Micheal calm down   
please."BRBR   
  
Ava brushed her sister's arm off of her. "No Liz it's okay. I knew she'd come   
up eventually."BRBR   
  
"So?"BRBR   
  
"So, she was my older sister. She was killed after being kidnapped during   
one of Kivar's raids on the palace." She said as the memory of the last time   
she saw Akyra alive came flooding back.BRBR   
  
~i"Ava! Akyra! Come quickly!" Zan shouted to his wife and sister in   
law.BRBR   
  
Both girls came rushing into his chambers just as he asked.BRBR   
  
"Zan what's wrong?" Akyra asked as he ushered both in and quickly shut and   
locked the door.BRBR   
  
"Kivar is on his way to the palace. I want you to take Ava to the spot that   
Rath showed you last week. Vilandra is there already. And stay there until   
either I or Rath come for you. Understand?" He asked urgently.BRBR   
  
Akyra nodded solemnly./i~BRBR   
  
"I remember Zan calling both of us into our chambers. He looked so   
distraught. I hadn't seen him that way since I miscarried our son; after   
Kivar tried to have me and Akyra killed."BRBR   
  
Both Micheal and Liz suddenly found themselves listening very intently.   
BRBR   
  
"He told us that Kivar and his men were on the way to the palace. He   
instructed Akyra to take me and hide in one of the underground passages   
that Rath had shown her."BRBR   
  
"But why did bRath/b show bAkyra/b? Why didn't Zan show you?"   
Micheal asked curiously. iWhy was Akyra so important if Ava was the   
Queen of Antar?/iBRBR   
  
"I'll get to that. But back to what I was saying. Anyway, Rath had shown   
Akyra the passage because he thought it would be a safe place to hide us in   
case of invasion. Zan and Rath had always put our safety first and   
foremost."BRBR   
  
~iAt some point Rath had entered through a secret door behind Zan and   
Ava's fireplace.BRBR   
  
Akyra quickly ran to him. He scooped his wife up in his arms. "Rath love..."   
She started but was quickly silenced by his finger on her lips.BRBR   
  
"Don't challenge me on this Kyra. You are bnot/b coming with me this   
time. I cannot risk your or Ava's lives. You will be safer here. I don't know   
what I'd do if I lost you, my love." He said as he took her hand and placed it   
over his heart.BRBR   
  
A sole tear slipped down her cheek at the profoundness of his words. "Rath,   
I love you so much it hurts sometimes. You are my world."BRBR   
  
He took the hand that was gently caressing his face and placed a kiss in her   
palm. "I know Kyra. I feel the same. Which is why I must be sure that you   
are protected." He said as he motioned to one of Akyra's personal guards:   
basically one of his officers. "Take the Queen to the safehouse."BRBR   
  
"Yes sir." The guard nodded and stuck his hand out for Akyra to   
take.BRBR   
  
She accepted and began to follow him out of the room all the while keeping   
her eyes locked with Rath's./i~BRBR   
  
"Akyra, for once did not put up a fight when Rath asked her to go. She knew   
he was right. If anything happened to either of us, they'd be crushed." She   
smiled as she remembered the love between her sister and Rath.BRBR   
  
"But?" Micheal asked. iI know there's a but here somewhere./iBRBR   
  
"But I didn't go so easily. I refused to leave Zan's side."BRBR   
  
~i"Zan I am not leaving you." BRBR   
  
"Ava this is not the time nor the place to have a disagreement. I have never   
ordered you around because I love you. But now I am. As the King and your   
husband, I order you to go with your sister."BRBR   
  
She began to sob. "No."BRBR   
  
Zan's heart broke everytime his wife got upset. This wasn't any different.   
But unlike other times, she was bnot/b getting her way. "Baby, you cannot   
stay here. It simply isn't safe for you. I will not allow you to be put in danger   
again."BRBR   
  
"I'm still not leaving Zan. King or not. I refuse to leave your side." She said   
defiantly as she crossed her arms and gave him what was supposed to be a   
stern look.BRBR   
  
"Ava, let's go!" Akyra shouted from just outside the door.BRBR   
  
"Go." Zan commanded as he pushed her toward her guard waiting at the   
door.BRBR   
  
"No!" She screamed. But it was too late to fight. The guard gently pulled her   
out the door, toward her waiting sister.BRBR   
  
Zan blew her a kiss. "I bwill/b see you later my love."/i~BRBR   
  
"One of my guards literally had to drag me out of our room. I did   
not want to leave him for fear that I wouldn't see him again. Akyra went a   
little more willingly with her guards than I did. Which was kind of ironic   
really."BRBR   
  
"Why did Akyra have personal guards?" Micheal asked.BRBR   
  
"That's easy Micheal. Akyra was the Queen's sister. That's all." BRBR   
  
"No not quite. But I'll get to that shortly."BRBR   
  
"Okay."BRBR   
  
~i"Okay we will be safe here." Vilandra told them as she wrapped a blanket   
around a shivering Ava.BRBR   
  
"For now at least." Akyra mumbled.BRBR   
  
Suddenly a guard entered the room. He looked straight at Akyra. "I have   
orders from King Rath to escort you to your quarters."BRBR   
  
Akyra shook her head vehemently. iHis men never refer to him as King   
Rath. He is always Prime Minister Rath. Something isn't right here./i She   
thought as she shot Ava and Vilandra a worried look. "No you lie."BRBR   
  
"I beg your pardon your Majesty."BRBR   
  
iWhy is he only asking for me? Not Lannie or Ava?/i "No Rath insisted   
that we stay here until he or Zan comes for us. No one else."BRBR   
  
Suddenly the guard morphed into someone else: Melo, brother to Kivar: the   
very same Kivar that was currently ruling Talira. "Plans have changed." He   
said as he grabbed Akyra's arm and began to drag her out of the   
room.BRBR   
  
"NO!" She screamed.BRBR   
  
Ava and Vilandra tried to get up and help. But they were quickly thrown   
against the wall by a swipe of the Melo's hand. He put up a shield. The girls   
found themselves unable to stop it because they were too weak from the   
fall.BRBR   
  
Ava screamed for her sister. "No! My sister!"BRBR   
  
Akyra looked at her helplessly. "Take care of Rath!" She yelled as he   
dragged her further away from them.BRBR   
  
Ava sunk to her knees screaming. "God no! Please don't take her." As she   
succumb to sobs.BRBR   
  
Vilandra who was screaming "Akyra!" held onto the sobbing girl, in an   
attempt to keep her calm. Yet, they knew what fate Akyra would eventually   
meet./i~BRBR   
  
"Our guards took us to the spot that Rath had designated. For a while, we   
were safe. But Kivar eventually found us."BRBR   
  
"How?" Liz asked.BRBR   
  
"Because Kivar replaced one of Akyra's guards with his brother."BRBR   
  
"Oh my god."BRBR   
  
"Yes so he took Akyra with him. I vaguely remember hearing voices outside.   
I think some of his men were waiting for him. When it was all said and done,   
no damage was done to the palace what so ever. It had been a planned   
ambush. All they had wanted was Akyra. And they got exactly what they   
came for."BRBR   
  
Micheal still wasn't putting two and two together. iAgain why Akyra? What   
was so important about her./i "Why not you?"BRBR   
  
iGod Micheal, I wish you remembered some. It's so hard to tell this to you.   
It'll will eventually make you feel like your reliving the past all over again. I   
know I do. Ever night./i "Micheal shut up and finish your cig. I'll get to   
it."BRBR   
  
"I wasn't as valuable as Akyra. Not by far. She was the glue that held our   
two families together. She was my sister, my best friend, and a mother   
when I needed one. She was the one Zan went to when he needed advice.   
She was aunt that spoiled Akien's children rotten. And she was Rath's   
everything."BRBR   
Ava began sobbing softly but continued with the story. "I remember Zan and   
Rath eventually showing up. I can remember it like it was yesterday. God I   
can even tell you what I was wearing. Zan was so worried about me. He held   
onto Lannie and I for dear life. They didn't know that she had been taken   
yet. But when they did, all hell broke loose. Rath was extremely furious. He   
began pacing the floor angrily. Tears began streaming down his face. My god   
you can't even begin to imagine the broken look on his poor face as the   
reality of the situation set it. He eventually realized what Lannie and I   
already had. Akyra was as good as dead. I still remember the shrill cries   
that erupted from his throat as he fell to his knees screaming her name. He   
took a ship to Kivar's planet. I think he knew it was in vain. But he went none   
the less; by the time he got there, Akyra was already dead. Kivar had left   
her body in plain sight. He knew Rath would come for her. She was his   
weakness. Of course he would come for her. After that, he was never the   
same. He was so empty. All the life had been sucked out of him. That, my   
sister's death, was the beginning of the fall of the Royal Houses of Antar   
and Rilos." She sobbed.BRBR   
  
Micheal's head shot up. He still wasn't putting two and two together. Well he   
was but not quite. "Why was I so angry?"BRBR   
  
She took a deep, shaky breath before reply "Because...because Akyra, my   
sister, was your wife."BRBR   
  
Micheal clenched his fists. iAnd where is my wife now?/i Liz gasped at   
the knowledge. "But I though Vilandra.."BRBR   
  
"Was supposed to marry Rath. No it didn't happen. Yes after Akyra died,   
Zan thought Rath was the only person that could protect and take care of   
his sister. So he asked Rath to marry her as a favor. He knew that they   
wouldn't love each other. But she would be protected. As always being the   
honorable man that he was, Rath agreed. I think he agreed more because he   
thought that he'd get some sort of redemption for Akyra. He had told me   
time and time again that he had let the love of his life down. That the one   
time she needed him the most, he wasn't there. I told him he was wrong.   
That he had been all that he needed to be for her. He made her so happy.   
And that was all I had ever wanted for my sister. Rath was her world. But he   
was hard headed and never saw it my way. But the marriage never went   
through. Rath was killed in battle."BRBR   
  
"That's so sad." Liz said sorrowfully.BRBR   
  
"No it was just as well." Ava declared sadly. "My brother in law," She said as   
she glanced at Micheal. He met her sad gaze. " was slowly dying of a broken   
heart. Without Akyra, Rath was nothing. Without Akyra, we were all   
nothing."BRBR   
  
"It's like that saying, A warrior's only weakness is his heart." Liz said as   
tears flooded her eyes.BRBR   
  
"Exactly, Akyra was Rath's ione/i and ionly/i weakness."BRBR   
  
No one noticed but Micheal had tears in his eyes. He had searched his whole   
life for a love so pure. And it was hard for him to hear that he had it at one   
point but then lost it so tragically at the drop of a dime. "I really loved her.   
Didn't I?" He asked while his head hung in his hands. iGod I can still feel all   
the love I had for her./iBRBR   
  
"Yes, Micheal you did. Akyra was your world. She had been since we were   
children on Rilos."BRBR   
  
"Rilos?" Liz asked.BRBR   
  
"My family's home planet. Our father, Zan's father and your father were   
best friends. Our father was the head of the House of Rilos. And Rath and   
Zan's fathers were the heads of the House of Antar. Zan's father was King   
while Rath's father was the Prime Minister of the Royal Guard of Antar. So   
we were frequently on Antar and you guys would come and visit Rilos. They   
were friends long before any of us were born. BRBR   
  
Our mother had died when we were little. And father did his best to keep us   
happy. And he did. And we were. For a time.BRBR   
  
After my father was murdered by Kivar, Akyra became Queen. She had no   
choice."BRBR   
  
Micheal being the forever skeptic just had to ask, "How so?"BRBR   
  
"Well our brother Akien (Pronounced Akeen) was already the Prime Minister   
of the Royal Guard of Rilos. He was also married with two children of his   
own. He abdicated his right to the throne by assuming and retaining the   
position. He loved it. He had never wanted to be King anyway. I was too   
young. And she had been trained for this since she was a child. My father   
had always said that she'd make him proud one day. So she was the only one   
left to fill the role of leader. She accepted the crown without hesitation and   
with much support from our people."BRBR   
  
"So how did I retain my title even though I married the Queen?"BRBR   
  
"Because at the time of your marriage, you were not the Prime Minister of   
the Royal Guard of Antar. Your father was. Once your father died however,   
you were. But that was an after fact."BRBR   
  
"And what about you and Zan?" Micheal asked his former sister in   
law.BRBR   
  
"What about me and Zan?"BRBR   
  
"How did you two come to be?"BRBR   
  
"Because of Akyra. It was her wish that I be taken care of. She said that I   
deserved a lot in like. That I deserved to be treated like the daughter of   
the King *Like the Princess* that I was. She was the one who orchestrated   
my marriage to Zan. I was delighted. Zan and I had loved each other for so   
long. She knew that he would take very good care of me. Father wouldn't   
allow it because he felt I was too young. Hell we were all too young. But our   
marriages strengthened both governments."BRBR   
  
"How young?" Micheal asked wanting to know more about his past   
life.BRBR   
  
"Keep in mind that royalty typically got married between the ages of 18 and   
20. Akyra was only 16 when she took over. They were married on Akyra's   
17th birthday. Rath was barely 21. When I married Zan, I was 14, almost 15,   
and he was 19. I don't wanna sound all cornball but, we were happy."BRBR   
  
He closed his eyes and shook his head. iSo I was married. That was my   
wife I saw in he vision./i "Seventeen and 21? Shit we were only   
kids."BRBR   
  
"Yes, but even so, we were happy."BRBR   
  
"Even Akyra with all that pressure?" Liz asked. iI can associate with   
her. I know what it feels like to have the weight of the world on your   
shoulders./iBRBR   
  
"Especially Kyrie." Ava said as she used her pet name for her sister. "Her   
and Rath were ecstatic. They were so in love."BRBR   
  
Micheal was in awe. He had never imagined that he was ever that happy.   
That there was a possibility of being that happy with someone. iI was   
ecstatic? Me? Mr. Negativity?/iBRBR   
  
"Why all the questions about Akyra, Micheal?"BRBR   
  
"Because I had a dream about her and Rath. I think I'm starting to get my   
memories back."BRBR   
  
Ava smiled. Her and Rath had been close in the last life. iMaybe we can be   
just as close in this one./iBRBR   
  
Liz was curious about the whole situation. It took her mind off of everything   
else for a while. "So what happened when you guys were sent to   
Earth?"BRBR   
  
Ava sighed. "That's the thing I don't know. There are a few people that were   
supposed to be here with us that are missing. Akyra and Akien are just some   
of them." iAlong with someone else that Micheal held dear./iBRBR   
  
"Some of them? There were others?" BRBR   
  
Ava nodded solemnly.BRBR   
  
"Like who?"BRBR   
  
iMicheal shut up./i Liz thought silently. She knew her sister was holding   
back. But for good reason. Ava never did anything without a reason. And this   
wasn't any different.BRBR   
  
iTime to lie. I can't tell him the truth. I don't want to get his hopes up, just   
to get shot down again. I can't do that or watch him go through that. He's in   
enough pain already. Hell we all are./i "I don't remember. I just know that   
there were more of us than this. I wish I knew Micheal. Believe me, I   
do."BRBR   
  
iShe's lying. But she never lies without a reason. I bwill/b find the   
reason. One of these days./iBRBR   
  
Liz and Ava had both heard what he was thinking. He was practically   
broadcasting it for the entire world. Little did they know, their silent   
replies were exactly the same. iNo you won't./iBRBR   
  
********BRBR 


	8. Part 7: I Thought Time Healed All Wounds

bAN:/b I'm writing this part with the idea that Micheal is the oldest of  
the Pod Squad. He's almost 19. Ashley is 21. Max, Isabel, and Kyle are all 18.  
Maria's just barely 18. Liz is 17. And Ava is the youngest at 16.BRBR  
  
p align=centerPart 7: I Thought Time Healed All Wounds/pBRBR  
  
Ashley cautiously entered the park. He didn't know what to expect from this  
supposed meeting. What can you expect when a face from your past calls at  
two-thirty in the morning to rehash the sorted details of your former  
life?BRBR  
  
A dark haired man crept out of the shadows towards him. He wasn't startled  
in the least. "Okay, I'm hea. What's going on?"BRBR  
  
"You came." The man stated as he nodded his head in an almost bowing  
gesture.BRBR  
  
Ashley nodded in return. "Yea Captain Obvious I'm hea." He remarked  
sarcastically as his arms crossed his chest. "Now can ya tell me what dis is  
bout?" He asked impatiently. "My fiancee is gonna wonder where da hell I am  
at 3 o'clock in the morning." iI hope Ria don't wake up while I'm gone. I'll be  
if she does./iBRBR  
  
iStill the same after all these years./i "You always were the impatient  
one. Weren't you Narim?"BRBR  
  
Ashley closed his eyes in remembrance and smiled slightly. "I haven't been  
called dat in years."BRBR  
  
The man's pursed lips curled into a smile at the comment. "Feels good doesn't  
it?" iThere are some things I miss about the old life./iBRBR  
  
"It feels aight. But we're gettin off track. Now care ta tell me why we're  
hea?"BRBR  
  
"It's time." He said solemnly.BRBR  
  
His eyebrows arched in question. "Time fo what?"BRBR  
  
"Time to tell them who we really are."BRBR  
  
"Yea and don't you think dat they gonna ask mad questions when we do?"  
Ashley asked slightly agitated. As much as he wanted to let them know who  
he was, he was afraid of what they'd say. iOr what they'll think. Micheal  
and Ava will expect that I want something from them. That's the way they  
are. That's the way they've always been./iBRBR  
  
"They will. But we will answer them."BRBR  
  
"But what about da ones we can't answer?"BRBR  
  
"Like what?"BRBR  
  
Ashley threw his hands up in a mixture of aggravation and defeat. "Like  
where da hell is Akyra? Rath, er, Micheal and Ava will be furious when we  
tell them dat we have no idea where she is. How do we tell them that we  
have no idea where the Queen of Rilos is? How they gonna react? Huh? And  
they gonna ask why da hell we got separated like we did. And I don't know  
bout you, but those are answers I don't have."BRBR  
  
He ignored the second question, deciding to concentrate on the more  
important of the two. "We bwill/b find Akyra." He retorted  
determinedly. iI will find my sister. No matter what, I will bring her back  
to Rath. Even if it's the last thing that I do./iBRBR  
  
Ashley's hazel eyes clouded over with anger. iHe acts like dis is child's play.  
Like Akyra's down da block or somethin./i "Oh yeah Akien. How do ya  
suppose we go bout doin that? Huh? Do ya have some great plan? Is that  
it?"BRBR  
  
Akien shook his head. His blue-green eyes showed a great deal of  
determination. He wasn't going to let his sisters down again. He was  
bnever/b going to let his sisters down again. "No. I have faith. My sister  
will be found."  
  
"Well I hope faith is enough ta get us through dis time. Otherwise we're  
screwed." iRoyally screwed./iBRBR  
  
"It will be Narim. All we need is time."BRBR  
  
****BRBR  
  
uTwo Weeks Later:/uBRBR  
  
Ava had finally gone back to school. She decided that she needed a  
distraction from all the pain. And that was only possible by being with her  
friends. She was attempting to get on with her life. But her sister however,  
was a different story.BRBR   
  
It was pretty much obvious to everyone that Liz wasn't really living her life  
anymore. She was merely going through the daily motions. She hadn't gone  
back to school. Nobody would let her; not that she really wanted to anyway.  
They didn't feel that she was ready to yet. So after some talking, arguing,  
and even some screaming with the principal, they worked out a system in  
which one of them would always be with Liz. Most of the time it was Micheal.  
A good many of his teachers came to the Parker apartment to teach him  
anything he missed. That was another change. Micheal had moved in with Liz  
and Ava bpermanently/b. It made sense really. He was saving as Ava had  
put it, 'mad cash'. And in the event that Ava decided to stay over Max's, he  
was there with Liz.BRBR   
  
Not that, that was of any real comfort. Liz wasn't very active at all. She  
spent most of the last few weeks in her bedroom. Except for using the  
bathroom, taking a shower, or eating what little she did eat, she rarely left  
her room.BRBR  
  
In the past three weeks, Liz had uttered no more than three words at a  
time. And when she did speak, it was to either Ava or Micheal. It seemed  
like the old Liz was gone for good; having been replaced by a empty,  
heartbroken version of herself.BRBR  
  
No one knew what to do for her. They had gotten together and discussed a  
few things that could be done. Maria said that they should simply let her  
know that they were there for her if she ever wanted to talk. That she  
would come to them when she was ready. Ashley, Ava, and Max went along  
with her argument. Isabel suggested that they could try and dream walk her  
into 'waking up'. Micheal and Kyle strongly disagreed with her. They said that  
when Liz did snap out of it, she would feel that her privacy had be invaded.  
Which would only cause a rift in the group when unity was an absolute  
necessity. BRBR  
  
Micheal had argued that they should just leave her alone. That pushing or  
hounding her would do no good. That if they left her to her own vices, she'd  
eventually snap out of it. "She just needs time to grieve. Can't we just give  
her that?" He had pleaded with them. They eventually agreed.BRBR  
  
But Micheal would soon learn that his suggestion had been the worst of them  
all. That the group would come to collectively regret leaving Liz  
alone.BRBR  
  
****BRBR   
  
At 10:30 at night, Micheal was awoken by sobbing. He knew exactly where it  
was coming from. That was the one good thing about the position of his  
room. It was in between Liz's and Ava's; so he could always tell when if one  
of them was upset, which one it was.BRBR  
  
He didn't even bother getting dressed. He waltzed just into Liz's room in a  
pair of baggy flannel pajama pants and nothing else.BRBR  
  
Liz sat in the corner of her room staring at her mirror, or rather the  
pictures that surrounded it. There were pictures of everyone up there. But  
the good bulk of them were of either her with Max or her with her parents.  
Most of them were of Max either way.BRBR  
  
Micheal had tried numerous times to get Liz to get rid of those pictures.  
They fought over them plenty of times. It usually ended up in one or both of  
them getting upset. BRBR  
  
~i "Liz I'm telling you, you'll feel a lot better if you just take them down."  
He said while motioning to the myriad of pictures surrounding her mirror.  
BRBR  
  
"No. I. Won't." She shot back in anger.BRBR  
  
"Why not?" He prodded.BRBR  
  
"Because...because.."BRBR  
  
He cut her off, "Liz you're not even grasping at straws anymore. He's with  
your bsister/b. He's in love with your bsister/b. He's bengaged/b  
to your sister. He's not coming back." He said as he grabbed her arm gently  
to pull her towards him.BRBR  
  
She resisted the urge to cry at his words. "Neither is Maria." She retorted.  
Micheal let go of her as if he just been burned.BRBR  
  
A wave of anger and hurt washed over him. "That's not fair." He yelled as  
unshed tears pooled up in his eyes.BRBR  
  
"Why not Micheal. That's not exactly grasping at straws either. She's with  
bAshley/b. She loves bAshley/b. And she's marrying bAshley/b in  
two months." She spat back with venom in her voice.BRBR  
  
Every word she spoke, albeit the truth, felt like a knife straight through his  
heart. And it caused the tears in his eyes to finally spill over.BRBR  
  
"Do you know just how much of a bitch you can be sometimes." He  
yelled/sobbed.BRBR  
  
She hadn't noticed how upset she had really gotten him till she looked in his  
deep brown eyes. 'Good going Parker look what you did now. How cruel am I?'  
Micheal's defenses weren't what they used to be. He let her see his  
emotions frequently. It was too hard to put up his 'walls' anymore.BRBR  
  
"Micheal I'm..."BRBR  
  
"Save it Liz. At least I'm acknowledging the fact that she's not coming back  
to me. She never will. I'm learning to accept it. But it's kinda hard when you  
keep throwing it back in my face. Are you done rubbing it in? That. She.  
Doesn't. Love. Me. Anymore." He accented every word by raising his voice  
just a little higher than before.BRBR  
  
"Max is NOT coming back! He's with AVA! He doesn't love you anymore. Get  
over it." He instantly regretted his words as he looked at her. iGood job  
Guerin. Way to make things better./iBRBR  
  
Liz sunk to her knees in tears. A sob escaped her small lips. She could barely  
breath she was crying so hard. Micheal hadn't meant to get her so upset. He  
never meant to get upset over something so stupid. She had too much shit in  
her life. It was his job to protect her from it and he failed  
miserably.BRBR   
  
He crawled over to her and pulled her into his lap. He rocked her back and  
forth, rubbing her back and muttering "I'm sorry." like it was his new  
mantra. "I'm so sorry." He said over and over as tears cascaded down his  
face./i~BRBR   
  
~i "I don't understand why your torturing yourself like this. You'll never  
get over him if you don't allow yourself too. At least take them down and put  
them somewhere for now." He pleaded with her as she sat on her bed in  
tears.BRBR  
  
"I c-c-c-can't. I don't w-w-want to." She sobbed.BRBR  
  
"I can't understand why. He's not worth it. He's not worth your tears."  
Micheal said as he gently brushed the tears off her cheeks.BRBR  
  
He grasped her chin and forced her to look at him. "You deserve so much  
better than him. You bwill/b get better than him. You'll become that  
world famous biologist you've always wanted to be. You'll marry that wealthy,  
good looking guy. You'll have the 2.5 kids, and a house with a white picket  
fence. It's what you deserve." He said sincerely.BRBR  
  
"And what about you?" She questioned as she place her hands atop his on her  
face. "What do you deserve?"BRBR  
  
He never answered the question. He didn't want to tell her what he thought  
he really deserved./i~BRBR  
  
****BRBR  
  
Micheal walked over to her and gently placed her in his lap. She threw her  
arms around his neck and sobbed. He rubbed her back gently. She needed  
him to be strong for her. It felt good to be needed so much by someone  
other than his 'family.'BRBR  
  
"It's okay Liz. I'm here. I'll always be here." iGod damn you Max. How could  
you leave her like this./iBRBR  
  
Liz crawled out of the safety of his arms and went back to the window sill.  
She watched the rain falling slowly outside. "I just want to be whole again."  
He heard her whisper softly as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I   
just want to be loved again."BRBR  
  
All he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and never let her go. He  
wanted to keep her safe from all things bad in the world. But that was a  
wish Micheal would never see granted. He couldn't conceal her from the  
universe as he desired. It just wasn't possible.BRBR  
  
He watched as she crawled back into her bed and slowly drifted off to  
sleep. It wasn't unusual to him. Many nights, he would sit by her bed and  
watch her sleep. He would be there to comfort her when she awoke from a  
nightmare. He would get her a glass of water in the middle of the night when  
she needed it. It was therapeutic to him. Taking care of her was helping him  
slowly but surely, get over Maria. In fact, he was beginning to think he was  
over Maria. He just needed to be loved. Hell he just needed to be  
needed.BRBR  
  
"Micheal, go take a walk. It's my turn." Ava said as she passed Liz's room.  
Once again, he was standing there keeping guard over her. BRBR  
  
"No, I'm okay." He insisted; but the circles under his eyes and the fact that  
he looked so tired said otherwise.BRBR  
  
"Micheal go."BRBR  
  
"And do what?"BRBR  
  
She dashed into her room and rummaged through her sock drawer until she  
came up with a twenty dollar bill. "Well we seem to be running low on  
cigarettes, why don't you go get us some more."BRBR  
  
"Why can't you?"BRBR  
  
"Because genius, I'm only 16. You're almost 19." She was right. Micheal would  
be nineteen at the end of the week. But besides that he needed a break. He  
had been running himself ragged the past two weeks. He would watch over  
Liz non-stop. He managed the Crashdown five days a week. And he went to  
school, when he could. He needed a breather even if only for a few  
minutes.BRBR  
  
She felt like he was trying to play Super Man. It felt as if he was trying to  
atone for Akyra. That by protecting Liz, he'd be making up for losing her.  
iDeep down, he's still the same. He's still Rath through and through. Still  
blaming himself for something that was beyond anyone's control./i  
  
"Fine." He muttered. "What do you want?"BRBR  
  
"Newport Light 100's"BRBR  
  
"Newport 100's it is then." He growled as he stomped down the back  
steps.BRBR  
  
"Take the car." Ava shouted to him. BRBR  
  
He glanced at the keys sitting on the table by the door. The keys to Liz's  
Explorer.BRBR  
  
"No it's okay. I'll walk." iI need to think./iBRBR  
  
****BRBR  
  
Micheal trudged down to the gas station at the end of the block. iWhy am  
I here? I should be home with Liz and Ava./i He thought silently.BRBR  
  
He walked up to the counter an waited for the attendant to notice that he  
was there.BRBR  
  
"Can I help you?" The elderly man asked as he eyed Micheal  
waringly.BRBR  
  
"Yeah, can I get two packs Newport Light 100's and one pack of Newport  
100's."BRBR  
  
The man retrieved what Micheal asked for and then asked, "Can I see some  
ID?" He wasn't quite sure this kid was 18.BRBR  
  
"Sure." Micheal said as he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and  
pulled out his license. Yes, he, Micheal Guerin, had a full driver's license. He  
handed it to the guy.BRBR  
  
The guy looked at the ID, then at him, then at the ID again. "Okay. Here you  
go." He handed the ID back to him. "That'll be nine fifty."BRBR  
  
Micheal handed him the 20 Ava gave him before. The man took it and handed  
him his change. "Have a good night kid."BRBR  
  
Micheal looked at him skeptically. "Yeah you too." iGood night my  
ass./iBRBR  
  
****BRBR  
  
Meanwhile...BRBR  
  
Ava wanted to check on her sister. She had felt that something wasn't right.  
She didn't know why, but she just did.BRBR  
  
She tip-toed over to Liz's side. Everything seemed fine. Liz was sleeping  
peacefully for once.BRBR  
  
Ava readjusted Liz's blanket. It was falling off her. But something didn't  
seem right still.BRBR  
  
She walked over to the other side of the bed. She checked the window. All  
locked.BRBR  
  
She turned to face her sister. It seemed odd that both of Liz's hands were  
under her pillows. Liz never slept like that. Alarms began going off in her  
head.BRBR  
  
Panicking, she moved Liz in attempt to get a look at her wrists. She was  
terrified of what she would find.BRBR  
  
She pushed Liz slightly and pulled her arms out from under the pillow. She  
didn't find what she had expected to. Liz hadn't cut her wrists. She was just  
sleeping. BRBR  
  
Ava sighed. iI'm just being paranoid./i She fixed Liz's comforter over her  
slight frame.BRBR  
  
In the back off her mind, something still seemed off to Ava. She sat down  
aside Liz on the bed.BRBR  
  
Her attention was suddenly drawn to the medicine bottles on Liz's  
nightstand. She picked one up; sleeping pills. BRBR  
  
It was no secret among the group that Liz was taking them. She had been  
since before their parents died. They were the only things that kept her  
sleeping through the night. They curbed her nightmares.BRBR  
  
But what did seem weird was that there were only 10 pills left in the bottle.  
There should've been 15. Liz only took one a night. And the prescription was  
for 30 days. Which dictated that there should have been 15 in the bottle.  
Why were there five missing?BRBR  
  
The reason for the missing pills suddenly dawned on her. She dropped the  
bottle and screamed. Her eyes widened in fear. She grabbed Liz by her arms  
and attempted to wake her.BRBR  
  
"Liz! Liz! Wake up!" She screamed as she shook her sister. "No! Don't you  
dare do this to me!" She cried.BRBR  
  
Liz didn't move. Ava checked for a pulse. Liz had a faint one and her heart  
was still beating. There was still time. She scrambled for the phone and  
dialed 911. "Yes! I need an ambulance at the Crashdown Cafe! My sister  
overdosed on sleeping pills! I can't wake her up! Please! Hurry!"BRBR  
  
****BRBR  
  
Micheal was on his way home when he heard the ambulance. It wasn't an  
uncommon sound in Roswell. It didn't phase him at all.BRBR  
  
"I guess someone got hurt." He said to himself as he shrugged his  
shoulders.BRBR  
  
Suddenly his cell phone went off. He retrieved it from his pocket and looked  
at the caller ID. It read 555-4444 Roswell General Hosp.BRBR  
  
iWho the hell would be calling me from Roswell General?/i He thought to  
himself.BRBR  
  
Then it occurred to him: SOMETHING HAPPENED. He flipped the cover and  
raised the phone to his ear. "Hello?"BRBR  
  
'Micheal.' It was Kyle. He sounded serious. 'I'm at the hospital.'BRBR  
  
"I know why?" iPlease don't say what I think you're gonna say./iBRBR  
  
'Well there's been an accident.' He said gravely.BRBR  
  
Micheal ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Is everyone okay?" iPlease say  
yes. Please say yes./iBRBR  
  
'Micheal, it's Liz.'BRBR  
  
He inhaled deeply and released a breath quickly. "I'll be right  
there."BRBR  
  
He took off in a run. All the while hearing the Kyle say 'It's Liz.' over and  
over.BRBR  
  
********BRBR 


End file.
